


Finding Freedom

by Haro



Category: Hetalia - Axis Powers
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angels, Drama, Humor, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-01-24
Updated: 2011-07-17
Packaged: 2017-10-15 01:09:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 27,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/155435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Haro/pseuds/Haro
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur is a guardian angel who feels as if he's at the bottom of the heavenly ladder. Alfred is Freedom Star, a young superhero at the top of his game. When their paths cross, Alfred's life and Arthur's afterlife... will never be the same.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Finding Freedom**

 _Chapter One_

By Haro

* * *

Time passes in a very different manner in heaven. That is, there's truly no sense of it. It's difficult to tell when it's night or day or sunset or sunrise, and years feel like mere hours. I suppose that's all right. If it goes by quickly, it's irrelevant, since heaven is eternal and all that rot. It really doesn't matter if a century feels like a few years, if you've got forever.

I died when I was just twenty-three years old. Right young, I was. I suppose it was a bit inevitable. I came into the army with soft hands, stained with ink and riddled with paper cuts, as opposed to being callused and hardened and used to holding a musket. I was never cut out for the battlefield, and I honestly didn't have the motivation for it either. For queen and country, no doubt, but I couldn't bring myself to care too much about fighting for a rocky piece of harsh land so far away from home.

It's not as if I was going to get married though, and the plays and short stories I put all my heart and soul into writing were scarcely fetching me but a few pounds here and there. Thinking about it in a practical manner, which was what I was trying to do at the time, the army was the best option for me.

And so it was, that Arthur Kirkland (that's my name), was killed in action. I'm sure my Mum was distraught, but I suppose I'll never know for sure. It was, after all, a solid one hundred and thirty years before I visited my home in England again. I just could never buck up the courage to do so. I didn't _want_ to see what had happened to my Mum with me gone.

And that visit was under very different circumstances. Rather… less dead circumstances, although it appears I'm getting ahead of myself.

Going to heaven doesn't necessarily mean one becomes an angel, let alone a guardian angel. You're given a choice, and generally those, like me, who felt so terribly unfulfilled by their lives on Earth, are the ones that insist on taking that role. It would have been nice to be so at peace in death that I felt no need to keep contact with Earth; nice if I could just go onto… Elysium or Paradise or whatever bollocks you call it, without any unfinished business. It is supposedly very lovely, lovelier even, than the part of heaven the angels reside in. But that's not what happened. I couldn't detach myself entirely from life, and thus chose the option that promised that I'd be able to visit Earth from time to time.

And in retrospect, I'm quite glad I did.

I wouldn't have met Alfred if I hadn't.

* * *

"Freedom Star, what do you have to say for yourself?" the reporter asked as she caught up with the man in question, her short blonde hair bobbing as she ran. "You have, after all, been trying to take down Ice Phantom for months." She glanced over her shoulder, where a gob of police cars had gathered, ready to serve as entourage for the vehicle that was going to take Ice Phantom, one of Tri City's most notorious supervillains, away to justice.

Freedom Star, as he was known, smiled his signature wide smile, the one that adorned the postered walls of every teenage girl in Tri City, and probably a good third of those walls in America on the whole. His short blonde hair was ruffled from the fight, and his blue eyes were eager and excited. There were a few rips in his tight costume, and several visible scratches and cuts from the Ice Phantom's attacks. "Really relieved, Angéline. There was no doubt that justice was going to be served eventually, hero's promise, of course… but it's great that it was sooner rather than later." He shot the camera a wink. "Just fulfilling my pledge to make Tri City the awesomest, safest city in the country."

Angéline nodded and pushed closer to Freedom Star, as other reporters were trying to get in on the action now. "Luckily for you, you managed to escape that new freeze ray he unleashed."

Freedom Star bit his lip for a moment, looking serious, before he laughed. "It was tough. I mean… to be honest, I really hate the cold! I guess you could say that's my weakness. Well that and scary movies." He smiled, movie star wide, directly at the camera.

The reporter cracked a grin herself. "Any help today, or was it all just you?"

"Omoikane gave me some tips, but you know how Omoikane is… kind of shy about getting attention," he responded with a shrug.

"Omoikane is always there to help you, aren't they? But no one's ever seen them. No one even knows their gender!" Her smiled turned mischievous. "There are those out there that suspect that they might even be your secret lover, since Omoikane is so faithful to you."

Freedom Star's eyes grew large, and he pulled at the neck of his costume absently. "What no? Seriously. My best friend, but… nothing like that."

Angéline had separated Freedom Star from the other reporters by now, and being that she was widely known as the superhero's favorite reporter to talk to, the others had resigned themselves to standing back and waiting their turn. "A couple of viewer questions, if that's okay."

"All right, sure!"

"First, one of our young viewers would like to ask if you're single?" Angéline asked with a false enthusiasm, for to be truthful, she had to ask this _whenever_ she spoke to Freedom Star. When the camera shifted to him, Angéline mouthed a 'sorry' in his direction. The superhero just smiled, putting on his best publicity face.

"I'm single," he answered. "When you're being a hero and saving the world, you don't have that much time for romance! Not to say I'd outlaw it if I met someone special, but… it hasn't happened yet."

Angéline gestured for the camera to focus on her. "Hear that girls of Tri City? He's still single." She paused. "Second question! This is from an older fan, who says he remembers well the days of Tri City's past great heroes, and thinks you're doing a great job of carrying on their legacy."

At this, Freedom Star's cheeks pinked. "R-really? That's… wow, thanks. That's really awesome." His smile now was small, nostalgic. "You know I grew up hearing stories about those guys so, seriously, thanks."

She went silent for a moment, allowing Freedom Star to gather his thoughts, before continuing, "Aww, that's really sweet. His question is this; if you could have any superpower, outside of your super strength, what do you think you would choose?"

"That's easy," Freedom Star replied, not missing a beat. "I've always loved planes and aviation and just… the freedom of being up in the air. There's really no question for me. I'd want the ability to fly…"

* * *

"Angel, what's your name?" asked the young girl, her dark brown pigtails bobbing as she spoke and her comforter pulled snugly up to her chin.

"It's Arthur, love," he replied. He'd taken residence in a rocking chair beside her bed, his large wings folded neatly behind his back. "Have I honestly not told you before?"

She shook her head, a quiet yawn escaping her tiny frame. "Nope."

"Ah… I'm sorry, Rose," Arthur replied, scratching his cheek and looking rather sheepish. "I suppose that was a bit silly of me."

He really was a lousy guardian angel, Arthur thought to himself. Angels who were brilliant at their job were given grand roles; to encourage those who would have a great impact on society, to stand beside and provide quiet strength to those who were doing so now, to comfort soldiers, to do… well, big things and important things. Things that helped change the world.

Not what Arthur was doing, which was telling goodnight stories to a four year old whose parents hadn't the time for her. In a manner, he supposed that what he was doing was significant. And it fit him as well, the job he'd been given. Arthur had been a writer in life, and he'd always loved telling stories. But that didn't change the fact that he felt rather as if he was on the bottom of the heavenly totem pole.

"S'okay," she replied, her voice thick with sleep. "Arthur, why do you always tell me princess stories?"

Arthur's green eyes widened at this. "Well ah, I thought you'd like fairy stories. It's… well in my time, it's what we told children, and I was under the impression that they were still quite popular."

Rose grinned, pushing her blanket off and sitting up in bed. "Fairytales are nice, but I want to hear about superheroes." She gestured to her wall, where Arthur noticed a smattering of posters, all glossy and featuring embellished and flashy images of caped (and non-caped) crusaders. "When I grow up, I'm going to be just like Aqua Prism." Rose nodded toward one particular poster, featuring a dark-skinned young woman, with chocolate pigtails framing her face and a glittering blue bodysuit clinging tightly to her skin. Behind her was a large wave, seemingly of Aqua Prism's summoning.

" _Are_ you?" Arthur cocked an eyebrow.

She shook her head, staunch in her conviction, and her own pigtails bobbed. "Yup, and I'm also going to marry Freedom Star!"

Arthur knew that name. Even with his limited contact with Earth, it was hard to not hear the name of Tri City's most famous hero, the young and charismatic blonde who went by the name Freedom Star. His eyes lingered on the poster, taking in his red, white and blue outfit and the overcrowded background of stars and spangles behind him.

"Ah well, you're quite young. Freedom Star is much, much older than you," Arthur countered.

Rose pouted and crossed her arms. "He's only eighteen years older than me. It's not _that_ big an age gap."

Well, she'd obviously thought about this quite a lot. And she wanted a superhero story? Arthur wracked his mind. When he'd been alive, he'd been able to conjure up a story on the spot, and indeed, that's what he'd done every night, for the past three nights he'd been visiting Rose.

But, try as he might, a superhero tale was a bit difficult for Arthur to conjure up. He was smart, fast on the uptake, and absorbed knowledge easily, but he hadn't spent enough time on Earth since his death to understand _everything_. He had a basic knowledge of Earth as it was; enough to get around, at least. He was familiar with some of modern society's most prominent figures, and even knew a pop culture reference or few. But he didn't know enough to make up a story specifically about superheroes; something from so long past his time. And he had a sneaking feeling that Rose was very knowledgeable about them, which would probably cause his sad attempt at a story to flounder even more.

He had to try. Angels had rules as well, and for a guardian angel, especially one of his level, there was no returning to heaven until a given mission was complete. His mission was to tell Rose a bedtime story tonight, and the half-a-story he'd told her before being interrupted and asked to tell a superhero tale wouldn't cut it. He wasn't permitted to leave until Rose was sleeping either.

Bollocks, this was asinine.

"Ah well… one day, there was…" he paused and glanced over at the poster, "a magical superhero by the name of Freedom Star."

"It's not magic!" Rose interrupted. "His powers are sci-in-ter-iffic."

"I think you mean scientific, love." He wasn't positive what she meant. Were Freedom Star's powers genetic, or had he been gifted them by science somehow? Arthur hadn't the foggiest. "Anyway, a scientific superhero by the name of Freedom Star."

"No!" she laughed. "You make it sound like Freedom Star is a scientist. That's more like what Omoikane does."

Arthur was perplexed and amazed that the girl could not pronounce 'scientific,' but didn't even trip over 'Omoikane.'

"Freedom Star was a great hero," he finally settled on. "He fought for good and justice, and protecting the world from… villainous behavior."

"This isn't much of a story," Rose said with a sigh.

"I'm getting to it!" He licked his lips, for they felt a bit dry. Then he stood up and paced, stretching his wings, out as he did so. Rose stared in wonderment at the spread of his wings. She always did whenever she saw them. "Anyway, Freedom Star was returning from defeating another villain when-"

He didn't get to finish his sentence, because a massive boom interrupted it.

And the house exploded, girl and angel still inside.

* * *

The amount of debris, much of it hot and flaming, was massive. Firefighters worked to extinguish what was still ablaze and what remained of furniture and possessions lay strewn about, almost all blackened and irreparable.

It had been an immense mansion, home to two powerful CEOs, a husband and wife, who were both currently prosecuting a rival company on corruption charges. From what could be heard, the rival company's CEO had already been contacted, despite it being eleven p.m. at night.

Freedom Star frantically dug through the debris, ignoring the way it scalded his skin and singed his costume. He had arrived too late, and he felt like the shittiest of heroes for doing so. He'd been tipped off by an anonymous source about an explosion at the mansion that evening, but he'd- not made it before the explosion occurred.

Outside the perimeter, Rose's parents stood, frantic and panicked and both crying. He had a bit of a bone to pick with them too (who the hell leaves their four year old daughter alone at night?), but more importantly, he was trying to locate Rose, and praying that she was okay.

The firefighters could do little on the level he was accomplishing, using his super strength to pick up enormous pieces of debris, while they were limited to small ones. He threw what appeared to be a bedroom wall, and upon noticing several blackened posters, reminiscent of what a child may have in her room, on said wall, his heart sped up. He threw aside two other walls, and within them was hidden-

A small bed, completely scorched along the edges, but perfectly fine in the middle, the light green of the sheets like a small patch of grass in the middle of a blackened field.

And in that patch of grass, sat a young girl. Her hands were atop her head, and she leaned over into herself in fear. He could hear her heavy breathing from where he stood.

Bounding across the wreckage, Freedom Star picked her up, took her in his arms, and embraced her in relief.

"Are you all right?" he asked soothingly.

Rose nodded, and her eyes grew large when she noticed who was holding her. "Freedom Star?"

"That's me!" he proclaimed. "Sorry I didn't get here earlier."

She snuggled into his chest. "It's all right. I was being- "

"It's a miracle you're not hurt at all," he interrupted. "Seriously, you must have had a guardian angel on your side tonight."

And it was at that moment, that he saw, out of the corner of his eye, another figure standing in the debris. He focused on him.

Across the bed stood a man, shorter than himself, a bit willowy, but not thin. His hair was sandy blonde, and his eyes were bright green to the point that Freedom Star could see them clearly from where he stood. He wore a white robe, knee-length, cinched at the waist, and sleeveless and slung over one shoulder like a toga. In the fire-lit night, Freedom Star could have sworn that he saw a glint of gold above his head.

But none of that compared to the pair of white wings that sprouted from his back, as tall as from his shoulders to his waist, and spread, as they were now, wider than the span of his arms.

Unlike Rose, who was bewilderingly free of all debris and not at all singed, the man across the bed looked worse for the wear. Chunks of debris had scratched up his body and gotten caught up in his wings.

All right, so it appeared that this guy was some kind of super. But Freedom Star knew all the supers in not just the Tri City area, but the entire nation. This man wasn't one of them. And being that they had no idea who specifically had caused this explosion- the only conclusion that Freedom Star could surmise was that-

"You'll be coming with me," he snapped. He glanced down at Rose in his arms, wondering how to take care of her without allowing that potential villain to escape.

His question was answered when a firefighter approached. He handed the child over to her, but not before tousling her hair and wishing her well. Rose, for her part, looked absolutely starstruck.

As the firefighter took her away, she turned around, waved, and yelled, "Thanks Arthur!"

And the angel-man shouted back, "No problem, love!"

Freedom Star crossed the distance between them and snatched the other man's arm roughly. "How come that firefighter didn't acknowledge you?" he asked.

"Because he didn't see me, you git," the shorter man snapped in retort, shaking his wings out to free some of the debris. Freedom Star couldn't help but notice the man's thick British accent.

Freedom Star furrowed his brows in confusion but pressed on. "So what's your name then? Something like Angel of Death or… Winged-"

"It's Arthur," he cut in. He'd folded his wings against his back, and his arms were crossed. "Why the bloody hell would I be called Angel of Death?"

"Arthur's not exactly the kind of name I'd expect from a villain," Freedom Star said with a short laugh. "But whatever." He was dragging him along now, and Arthur couldn't fight it. The superhero was about a hundred times too strong. His cries of 'let me go!' were ignored, and even if he tried to fly away, there was no escaping his hold. Arthur was stuck here, being dragged along with Freedom Star in a rather undignified manner. And he couldn't escape back to heaven either. He hadn't finished his mission.

"We'll be going this way, because I can't exactly cart you away if I've got reporters on my tail."

"Which way?" Arthur asked, his voice heavy with resignation.

"Oh yeah," he said, and by now, they were already out of the wreckage of the mansion. Freedom Star pointed across the street. "I mean through the subways. It's late at night, and I know some shortcuts. Gotta find out who you are and bring you to justice as soon as possible!"

* * *

When Arthur emerged into the base, after being dragged roughly by the superhero for about a kilometer of walking, he had no idea where he was. It had been too dark for the latter part of the trip to tell where they'd been going at all. They didn't walk into a front door, or come in at street side. Instead, Freedom Star took him to a dark, secluded and closed down area of the Tri City underground, and, with a remote control he'd had in his belt, opened a door in the ceiling.

A small staircase collapsed downward, and Arthur and Freedom Star walked up into it. "Now it's time to answer questions, Arthur," he demanded, a tinge of venom in the way he pronounced the name.

The base was immense, and it was every bit what Arthur, with his limited knowledge, would expect of a superhero's base. There were massive screens on the walls, bits and bobs of technology that Arthur hadn't the foggiest what they meant, and several duplicates of Freedom Star's signature uniform hanging in one corner.

But at the same time, instead of the largest screen being used for surveillance, there was a video game system hooked up to it. Thus, upon the screen, instead of anything that he assumed was relevant to Freedom Star's job, there was a man with a giant sword engaged in combat, with an odd creature that Arthur couldn't quite describe. And over all of that, 'GAME PAUSED,' in giant blinking text.

"You interrupted my game, you know," Freedom Star accused, as if reading Arthur's mind.

And there were piles of comic books ( _what kind of superhero reads about superheroes?_ ) and action figures, as well as scads of posters adorning the walls. He glanced upward. Were those really glow in the dark ceiling stars up there? He'd seen them often in the rooms of children, but in a superhero base, it was a bit-

The entire _place_ was rather childish.

"I honestly don't care. Can I go now?" Arthur grumbled, trying in vain to pull out of Freedom Star's hold.

He tightened it instead. " _And,_ more so, you blew up that mansion. You could've _killed_ that little girl, you bastard!"

At this, Arthur stiffened, jutted out his chin, and shot the hero a furious look. "Don't you _dare_ accuse me of that!" he roared. "I saved her life! The reason she was safe, the reason there was a spot of her bed untouched by the fire? It was because _I_ shielded her, with my body and my wings and-" He was in Freedom Star's face now. "I don't care what you want to think of me, what you want to do with me. Doesn't matter, I'm already dead. But you will _not_ accuse me of harming Rose."

Freedom Star stepped back, eyes wide and clearly affronted.

Arthur was pretty damn convincing. There was, what appeared to be genuine conviction in his words, and he honestly looked pretty distraught and angry that he'd been accused of planting the bomb.

But supervillains pulled this kind of stuff all the time, and even if Arthur was a lot more believable than most of them, there was still a good chance he was bullshitting.

He puffed up his chest, the emblem on the front of his uniform pushed forward. "I'm still going to have to keep you here, just in case. Hero's duty. And besides, if you're not a villain, what are you? I've got information on all the superheroes in the nation- although I guess you could be a new one but…"

"What does it _look_ like I am?" Arthur shouted, and to emphasize his question, he spread his great white feathered wings wide. In the brighter light, Freedom Star could tell that the glint of gold floating above his head was indeed a halo. He also wore a pair of strappy sandals on his feet, the ribbons gleaming white and gold.

"Well uh, an angel of course," he replied, "but I thought that was just your costume."

Arthur tugged, hoping to pull his arm free again. He failed, so instead reached up with one hand and gestured to his wings. "As you can see, these are attached. It's not a costume! I'm an angel."

Freedom Star placed his free hand on Arthur's back, smoothing his bare hand across them and fingering the area where the wings joined his back, noting the way they seamlessly connected. Arthur shivered a bit at the touch on his bare skin, and he felt his cheeks pink. It wasn't every day that an attractive man, albeit an obnoxious one, touched him like that. Truly, he didn't think that one ever had. And Freedom Star was… extremely handsome, with his bright blue eyes and his golden hair. His face was uncovered, no mask worn, unlike many other superheroes he'd seen plastered on children's walls. But with a face like his, it would have been a damn shame to conceal it. Even the flashy skin-tight suit did nothing to detract from his appearance. He shook his head and willed the flush to vanish.

"Yeah, that's… kinda cool. So what is it? Genetic engineering, some kind of scientific accident?"

Arthur huffed. "How about this, you tosser; I died and became an angel, a guardian angel, to be specific. This, by the way, is the reason you can see me."

"What?"

"You acknowledged me, with your comment about an angel being on Rose's side. And I was too distracted making sure she was okay to render myself invisible," he explained, expression cross. "Bollocks, you didn't even mean to call on me, I imagine. But now that you know I'm here, I can't turn invisible in front of you."

Freedom Star blinked. "Is that why the firefighter couldn't see you? Because you had invisibility powers that you can cont—"

"I don't have superpowers!" Arthur shouted. "Bloody hell, you are _so thick_. If only the organ in your head worked half as well as the muscles in your body."

Freedom Star frowned at this, and opened his mouth to retort.

But before he could say anything, someone else entered the room. He was small in stature, with short black hair and Asian features.

"Alfred," he spoke, his tone polite, "is there anything wrong? I was working on the perception filter and I overheard you… shouting."

At this, Freedom Star's blue eyes grew large, wider than Arthur had seen them up to this point, and his mouth dropped. It only took Arthur a moment to figure out what had just occurred.

"Your friend right there can't see me right now, and he just spilled out your secret identity and that rot, am I correct," he paused, "Alfred?"

Alfred's throat felt dry, and he licked his lips. "K-Kiku… you… there's someone else here and you just-"

"There's no one else here, Alfred," Kiku said, crossing the room and approaching his friend, concern evident in his expression. "Trust me; the body heat sensor would have picked up the presence of any other person. Maybe you're just tired. You've done a lot lately."

Alfred pouted, because _he_ certainly knew that there was someone else here. Kiku was a genius, that much was true. He and his best friend worked together on a ton of tech and had introduced a lot of it into modern industry under secret aliases.

The aliases being Freedom Star and Omoikane, of course. He was proud of everything they'd done, but all of Kiku, nay, Omoikane's equipment couldn't convince him when it was right before his eyes.

Alfred sighed. "Arthur, show yourself to Kiku, all right?"

"Why should I?" he queried, rolling his eyes.

"'Cuz if you wanna be off the hook, Kiku might be able to help prove your innocence." He shrugged. "If you don't show yourself, I'll just have to assume you're a villain.

Arthur scoffed, closing his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, Kiku gasped.

"There is someone here- but he didn't register on the equipment at all," he said, his dark eyes confused and a frown on his face. "How can that- is he a super?"

"I'm _dead_ , for god's sake!" Arthur proclaimed. "I'm an _angel_. I'm not going to show up on your equipment or what not."

Alfred bit his lip, shooting the supposed-angel a thoughtful look. "Kiku, let's run a scan on him. That will give us an answer."

"A scan?" Arthur quirked a thick eyebrow.

"It won't hurt or anything," Kiku responded. "I apologize, but Alfred is right, it's only right that we- try to verify who and what you are."

Frustrated with the whole damn ordeal, Arthur scowled. "Fine. Just get it over with."

* * *

I know it's a weird thing to say, but I kind of hoped that when we scanned Arthur, it would turn out that he wasn't lying. Yeah, it would mean that I hadn't caught the villain that had blown up Rose's mansion, but- when he was going on about protecting her, I wanted it to be true. I always like knowing there are more heroes in the world than villains.

And plus, I'd never seen an angel before. I've always been all about science, so it kind of blew me away that something outside of that might have been- standing right next to me.

A British angel. When he wasn't scowling as hard, he wasn't bad looking either. His eyes were nice, and he had a good figure (his legs were kind of hard to miss, what with that _outfit_ he wore). His hair was sort of messy, but in a way that worked- and on the whole, he was… pretty cute.

And this is hard for me to admit, but I really, really envied his wings. They were amazing, awesome, even. If he could really fly with them, which I was sure he could-

Wow.

But if he were a bad guy, some kind of new villain genetically created or whatever, then it wouldn't be cool at all.

Oh yeah, and most importantly, it would have meant that a bad guy now knew my real name. Even with just my first name, a skilled syndicate would probably be able to find out who I really was. Full name is Alfred F. Jones, by the way.

Kiku, who the general public knew as Omoikane, had Arthur lying down on a flat surface, the top of a table. He was scanning him up and down with a small device, and inputting data into his computer here and there as he did so. Sometimes he'd ask me for assistance, which I gave. I knew the equipment nearly as well as he did. We'd built it together.

I guess you're wondering why I called him Kiku in front of Arthur, when I'd freaked out over Kiku revealing my secret identity.

Kiku's situation is sort of the reverse of mine. He keeps even his appearance a secret, so we decided that when someone comes to our base, I should refer to him by his normal name. That way, if worse comes to worst, I can just say Omoikane lives elsewhere. Kiku's just my… assistant. Or something. It made a lot of sense when we set it up.

The computer let out a loud beep, and Kiku shook his head in disbelief. "Alfred, I'm sorry to say but- "

I glanced at the screen.

"What does it say?" Arthur demanded from where he was splayed out. His wings were folded behind his back, but they still stuck out beyond his shoulder blades. They looked kind of soft, like they'd make a nice pillow.

"There's nothing," I replied as I surveyed the results on the screen. It brought up no name, no DNA, nothing. It was like we'd just scanned air, except at least if we scanned air, the computer would have given us the molecular components of said air. "It's like you don't exist."

"As if your computer is going to register an angel," he snapped, propping himself up and then padding over to where I stood. "Now that I've proved myself, for my trouble, I'd like a hot bath. Saving Rose's life left me a bit dirty and singed. There's soot all over my wings."

As if to emphasize this, he shook his wings out. The air filled with ash and soot, and I couldn't help but cough. Geez, it was going to take forever to clean up.

"All right, you're an angel," I said. I mean there was no getting around it. Our software was pretty much flawless, and it acted like nothing was even there when we scanned him. Even an alien life form would have registered _something_. At least I knew he wasn't some villain, because it's not like an angel could be a villain. And it was… sort of awesome.

I turned to him, and I think my eyes got pretty bright, and I was probably smiling a lot, because Arthur looked pretty weirded out. "Does that mean you can fly?"

"Of course I can bloody fly," Arthur grumbled. He'd crossed his arms (he did that a lot, even _before_ I'd let go of him), and I caught him using one of his hands to rub his wrist. I guess I'd held his arm a little too hard. Oops. Sometimes I underestimated my own strength.

"You'll have to show me then, huh?"

At this, Arthur cocked the smallest of smiles. I wasn't sure why at the time, but I learned later it was because well… the idea that someone, outside the kids he read stories to, was interested in and impressed with him, was… really new. I thought this was sort of sad.

"I suppose, if you really want me to," he replied.

"I do!" I beamed at him.

Arthur was so weird, the whole being an angel thing aside. I was… about to learn that quite well. He wasn't going to be leaving my side for a very long time, after all.

This was okay, because in the end, somehow a chance meeting with a grumpy angel ended up being one of the best things that had ever happened to me.

I'd always thought it would be cool to have a sidekick, but what I didn't know at the time was- that what I wanted even more, was a partner.

* * *

 **Notes:**  
 **Second Anglo-Afghan War** \- It's not that relevant to the plot specifically what event this is, but this is the war that England died in. It lasted from 1878-1880. _Sherlock Holmes_ geeks might know this as the war that Watson fought in.  
 **Omoikane** \- Japan takes his alias name from the Shinto god of wisdom and intelligence. _A heavenly deity, identified as a child of Taka-mi-musubi-no-kami, who is always called upon to "ponder" (omopu) and give good counsel in the deliberations of the heavenly deities._


	2. Finding Freedom Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Human Names:**  
>  Bruce- Australia  
> Andre- Netherlands
> 
> Rose and the Coopers are OCs.
> 
> * * *

**Finding Freedom**

 _Chapter 2_

By Everything is Magic

* * *

Alfred was, for lack of better words, an odd one. When he finally came to believe that I was, in fact, an angel, he dropped the hostility completely.

Well, he was still obnoxious, but the whole lot of nonsense about me being a villain or whatnot- he was over that, at least.

If anything, Alfred appeared to be a bit fascinated with me, or at least, with my wings. I didn't quite understand this myself. He was a bloody superhero. He could probably bench press a building. Surely he had seen stranger things than a man with wings in his lifetime.

What I found stranger than any pair of wings (saw those every day, after all), was the blasted 'bathtub' that Alfred had shown me to. It looked nothing like something I'd have bathed in from my time. It was huge and deep, more like a bath _house_ than a bathtub. But that in itself wasn't the problem. I was familiar enough with modern technology to be able to work a faucet (and indoor plumbing did exist in my time, rare as it was, thank you very much), but this bathtub was insane.

It was all buttons, and there was a little glowing screen that confused the hell out of me. Was everything in Alfred's house computerized? Bollocks, I wasn't going to be able to do anything on my own here.

I'd already removed my clothing, robe folded neatly and placed on the counter, my sandals atop it. I took a moment to survey myself in the mirror, realizing, with a strange sort of melancholy, that I hadn't actually seen myself nude for over a century. It wasn't as if I'd ever been one to make a habit of staring at myself nude in life, far from it, but it was just one of those silly things that reminded me… of how long it had been since my death.

You know how when you enter heaven, you supposedly become 'white as snow?' It's true in the literal sense as well. Nothing of Earth can enter heaven, so if I get dirty somehow, that all vanishes when I go back to heaven. It's… rather convenient, I suppose. But it also inevitably means that I had not experienced a bath since 1879.

And dammit, I bloody wanted to take one _now_.

I grabbed my robe and wrapped it around my center, sucked up my pride, and padded out of the bathroom to ask Alfred for help.

He was with Kiku, babbling to him about god-knows-what, and shockingly, out of his superhero costume.

I took a moment to look him over, for he actually did look… quite different when not decked out in spandex. He was wearing a pair of red boxer shorts covered in planes with a white tank top, and most notably, wire glasses now rested on his face, over his bright blue eyes. Despite the childish boxers, I actually thought that the glasses made him look a tad older.

And his arms and legs were exposed, and they were tanned and taut and well toned. Well that was…

I've always known that I was like that. Back when I was alive, it was something I kept locked inside, as a secret only known by myself. I thought that if I concentrated on my writing, poured all of my essence into that, it would quell that in me. I could be 'married to my work,' per se. It was against the law to engage in the lifestyle that was a part of me, after all.

I never did fall in love; or at least, never for more than a brief period of infatuation. But… when I had… desires, they were always… well, never for women.

Because of this, it didn't surprise me that my gaze kept finding its way to Alfred. Nor did it shock me that my cheeks grew hot when I was caught doing so. Alfred leveled me a quizzical look, cocking his head to the side as he did so.

"You done with your bath, Arthur?"

"Do I look clean to you?" I huffed.

Alfred shrugged. "Not really, but hurry up then. I need to take one too, and I wanna use the whirlpool bath!"

"Is that what you call that infernal thing with the buttons in there? Whirlpool indeed. I have no idea how to work it!" I said, crossing my arms.

Alfred laughed. "No idea at all? It's a pretty simple one! Geez, I mean how long have you been dead?"

I paused to do the math. "One hundred and thirty-one years."

"Wow, you're so old…"

I furrowed my brows at this, because honestly. "I was only twenty-three when I died. That's hardly 'old' I'll have you know."

Alfred began walking toward the bathroom, and I followed. "That makes you one hundred and fifty-four then. That's ancient."

"Those years don't count, you git!" I snapped.

Alfred just laughed, and I grumbled or something of the sort as he showed me how to work the bathtub. It was indeed, deceptively simple. I felt a bit daft for not being able to figure it out, despite it being technologically long past my lifetime.

But the bath made everything worth it. The water was brilliantly hot, and there were bubbles and little jets of water that tickled my skin. My wings were a bit heavy when I got out of the water, but it was no matter. They dried quickly. I was rather of the opinion that I wished I could take a bath like this every day.

When I got out of the bathtub, Alfred had a change of clothes ready for me. He'd offered to 'wash my dress,' as he said (to which I argued that only a moron would call it a dress), and I accepted, as it was quite filthy. An old pair of sweats that weren't unpleasantly large on me and a baggy white t-shirt was what he gave me to don. He'd even been insightful enough to cut a hole in the back of the shirt so I could wear it with my wings.

I had explained to Alfred and Kiku the situation with Rose, my mission, and why exactly I was stuck on Earth. Kiku was kind enough to offer to try and hunt down Rose's current whereabouts so I could complete my task.

And then came the shocker, for me, at least. Alfred asked if I wished to stay with him until I could go back to heaven, and as he did so, he appeared rather bashful, as if he were embarrassed to ask.

I accepted, not because I liked Alfred or anything of the sort. It was merely because I couldn't exactly stay in a hotel, and I didn't want to sleep on the streets. Alfred offered me a warm place to stay, a soft bed to sleep in, and that brilliant bathtub to use.

He gave me a beaming smile, wide and enthusiastic and just- filled to the brim with excitement, when I agreed. And I flushed, because I hardly thought I was worth that much elation.

The bed was wonderful, and the greasy breakfast he made the next morning for the three of us was surprisingly good as well. I wasn't actually sure if I had the capacity to eat on Earth as an angel, having never tried. But apparently I did.

I'm getting ahead of myself again, but suffice to say, within time, staying with Alfred began to feel like being alive again. And not just that, but it felt better than the first time around.

* * *

"And after work, you've got an interview with Good Night America. They'll be wanting to interview you at their Tri City studio," Kiku rattled off, his laptop resting on his knee and a pen tucked behind his ear. "That's at six 'o' clock."

"Thanks Kiku… I bet they'll want to talk about Ice Phantom, huh?" Alfred asked. He was pulling on a pair of hiking boots over his socks at the moment. Arthur realized, upon observing his ensemble, which consisted of said boots, a pair of khaki cargo pants, and a green t-shirt, that he had no idea where Alfred worked. He had assumed that Alfred just stayed at home with Kiku, working on god-knew-what, but it appeared that both of them had ordinary jobs as well. Kiku was outfitted in a pair of black pants, a white dress shirt, and a simple tie, and had a briefcase packed and ready to go on the table. "Hopefully they don't bring up last night…"

Alfred glanced at Arthur, who was sitting at the kitchen's bar, idly sipping at a glass of orange juice.

"They won't," Kiku answered. "No one is going to ask you about Rose Cooper or her parents."

Alfred's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"They've been put under maximum government protection. The firefighters who were at the house last night have been sworn to secrecy, and they'll probably talk to you tonight at the studio."

"Like the CIA or something?"

Kiku shrugged. "Apparently this is bigger than we thought. I have no idea who is after them, but I doubt it's just a rival company. I can't find any other information…"

Arthur nearly dropped his glass. "Does that mean…?"

"I'm honestly sorry, Arthur," Kiku replied, bowing his head, "I will keep looking, but as of right now, I have no idea where she is."

The angel sighed, visibly deflating. "Well bollocks. I suppose as long as you keep looking, you'll be able to find her eventually…"

"We have access to pretty much all but the most tightly locked networks," Alfred cut in. "We're awesome like that. I'm sure Kiku will find something soon." He grabbed his billfold and cellphone, shoving them both in his pockets.

"Well… you'd better hurry up!"

Alfred frowned and bit his lip, shooting Arthur an unreadable look. "Yeah. Sure thing." He raked a hand through his hair. "Anyway, Kiku and I need to leave. Uh… I guess you can just stay here."

"I suppose that's fair enough," Arthur replied, finishing off his glass of orange juice.

"Don't go down into the base. I've locked it so you can't, but just in case you have some kind of angel magic that can get past that, promise to stay up in the house area, all right?"

Arthur rolled his eyes, but nodded his consent. He'd first gone up into Alfred's house the night before when he'd bathed, and in fact, he had not been down into the base since then. He expected to leave the base, the exit being a nondescript cellar like door in Alfred's basement, to discover an enormous mansion and all that rot. In his limited knowledge of superheroes, that tended to be how they lived. And Alfred definitely had money.

But it was a small, unremarkable one story house instead. There were three rooms; Alfred's, Kiku's, and one guest room, and two bathrooms. The house was very well furnished, all sleek and modern, but it was by no means large. The most luxurious piece of furniture in it was that wonderful bathtub.

The house even lacked the posters, game systems, and action figures that were so prominent in the underground base. It was… for all intents and purposes, completely normal. It was a home that two men who worked standard full time jobs, but who didn't have a family to support, could afford.

Although perhaps, Arthur considered, that was the point.

"Speaking of, as you're all getting ready to leave," Arthur wondered aloud, "where do you work?"

Kiku's eyes widened almost imperceptibly. "I… work at a business firm within the city. I'm sorry, but I don't feel comfortable disclosing any more info than that."

Alfred laughed. "You'll never meet anyone more secretive than Kiku. I'm a zookeeper! I work at Tri City Metro Zoo."

Arthur blinked owlishly. "A… zookeeper?" In principal, it fit Alfred rather well. He had unending energy and of course, impossible strength. His genial attitude befitted someone who would be fond of animals also. But… it wasn't exactly the kind of occupation he'd expect of a superhero. "Rather unglamorous, if I do say so."

At this, the other man gave him a bewildered look. "Are you kidding me? It's the best job ever!" he exclaimed. "Well, outside being a superhero, of course."

Kiku cleared his throat. "Alfred chose a job that would ensure he wouldn't often be in the public eye. It helps to conceal his identity."

Arthur pushed himself off the bar stool and placed his hands on his hips. "You're telling me that all Alfred has to do is put on a pair of glasses and no one recognizes him as Freedom Star? That's barmy."

Alfred cracked a grin at this. "It's easy to go unnoticed if people aren't looking. If I were a CEO or in a position of power, people would figure it out. But as it is? I'm just a really awesome zookeeper."

"If you saw a famous actress walking around a small town, you'd assume it's just someone who looks like her. If you saw them walking around Hollywood, you might think they actually are the actress," Kiku elaborated.

"And Tri City is really enormous!"

Arthur tapped his chin. "It makes a strange lot of sense, to be honest…"

"Course it does!" Alfred said. "Now uh, I guess I'll be home later tonight after the interview. Kiku…?"

Kiku cheeks grew pink. "I uh…"

His roommate cocked an eyebrow and nudged him in side with his elbow. "Got another date with Heracles, do you?"

His blush intensified. "We… will be going out again tonight, yes. I'm very sorry if you need me for anything."

Alfred waved his hand. "Nah, it's great! It's awesome, and you need to get out more anyway."

Kiku nodded. "Thank you, Alfred."

Alfred turned to Arthur now. "Um… so we'll be going now. I left my cellphone number on the refrigerator, and there's tons of stuff to eat." He paused. "You do know how to use a phone, don't you?"

"I've picked up on it, so as long as it's not an odd one…"

"No, it's not," Alfred assured him. He scratched the back of his head, taking in the angel before him. He'd changed into something else this morning, more old clothing of Alfred's. What he'd worn last night, Alfred had told him was to be his pajamas. Today he wore a pair of jeans, cinched to fit better by a belt, and another t-shirt, again with a hole cut in the back. His wings peeked out behind him, firmly closed but still impossible to miss. And that halo. Alfred half wondered if it would budge if he tried to grab it, or if it was destined to float permanently above Arthur's head. He resolved to test that later. "Is there anything we can get for you? I mean there's TV and stuff but…"

"I would very much like a pen and paper," Arthur interrupted.

"Huh, that's it?"

Arthur smiled, infinitesimally small. "Yes, that's it. I'd just like to write again…"

* * *

Work for Alfred that day was extremely eventful. One of the tapirs in the rainforest building was about to give birth, and he had to help close down that part of the exhibit so she could be left in solitude. The zoo's most notoriously stubborn hippopotamus, Martha, absolutely refused to exit her enclosure. It was one of those situations where Alfred's superpowers came in handy on the job. He went into the enclosure when no one else was there, and pushed her out into the open with one easy shove, despite her massive girth.

And then there was the problem of medicating the zoo's largest crocodile, Wondercroc McMajesty, conamed by both Alfred and the head zookeeper, Bruce. He was an absolute beast of a reptile to every other zookeeper, but for Alfred and Bruce, he was more like a very toothy puppy. That was, except for when he needed to be medicated. Then he would go wild, and Alfred, even with his super strength, still felt safer asking Bruce to assist him with the task. Medicating Wondercroc took almost an hour and a half, plus three or four times slipping and falling into the murky, muddy water in his habitat.

It was a damn good thing that the staff building in the zoo had nice showers. He was using one now, and he would have stayed in there for about an hour longer, had he not an interview to catch.

Alfred really did love his job. Arthur was right that it wasn't glamorous. In fact, it was downright nasty sometimes and the pay was shit for how much work he did. But he'd always adored animals, and being able to hang out with them all day? Awesome. Even if 'hanging out' also meant cleaning up their crap, literally. And it did hide his identity well. He spent almost every day with Bruce and his coworkers, and none of them had any idea what he did in his 'free time.' The good thing about being a zookeeper was that since he did a lot of work by himself, he could easily sneak out if Kiku texted him to say he was needed as Freedom Star. It wasn't as if the animals were going to tattle on him, after all.

Reflecting back on Arthur's comment about his job reminded him that he had another secret to keep now, in addition to his Freedom Star alias. He had an angel staying at his house. Arthur was grumpy and a bit standoffish, but Alfred shrugged it off. It could be kind of frustrating to deal with, but the poor guy _was_ dead. And he seemed like he was going to be pretty low maintenance, if all he demanded was some paper, a pen, and a chance to use his whirlpool bathtub every night. The clothes he was loaning him, the t-shirts he was cutting into for him, were years old, so it wasn't like that was a big inconvenience either.

Plus, Alfred considered, he had an angel staying at his house. A bonafide guy from heaven with wings and a halo and stuff! It was worth a little bit of trouble for that. And besides, a hero like him could hardly allow Arthur to stay on the streets alone or whatever.

Now out of the shower, Alfred checked his watch. Thirty minutes 'til he had to be at the studio. He had to leave now or risk running late. Before he did so though…

A small smile quirked his lips as he pulled his phone out of pants pocket and dialed his home number. He'd let it go to answering machine, because he doubted Arthur was going to pick up.

Four rings, a very energetic answering machine greeting courtesy Alfred himself, and a beep.

"Arthur, you don't need to pick up, but I just wanted to tell you that you should totally watch Freedom Star on TV at six! The TV should already be on that channel, so just turn it on, okay? See you later tonight!"

* * *

Kiku fidgeted under the table, typing a quick text to Alfred to remind him of the interview as he did so. Heracles sat across from him, staring at Kiku with intent green eyes. He placed a hand over Kiku's free hand, which rested atop the table.

"Heracles, it was very kind of you to take me here," Kiku said softly, his cheeks stained light pink.

Heracles thumbed through the menu and took a sip of his wine. "It's no problem, Kiku…" he spoke slowly.

He _always_ speaks that slowly, Kiku thought. This was the ninth date he'd gone on with Heracles Karpusi, an attractive olive-skinned sculptor that he had met two months ago at a coffee shop near his work.

Before Heracles, Kiku had not had much dating experience at all. In fact, his only attempts had been a brief relationship with a close friend, Andre, at the very tail end of high school. Kiku had moved away for university, and Andre decided to pursue his hobby of speed-skating on a more serious level. Their relationship petered out once they were apart, although the two remained in contact as friends.

Tri City University is where he'd met Alfred. Kiku was attending classes in the tech sector, and Alfred was in veterinary school. Alfred later transferred out of it, realizing that even a job running a vet clinic might be too high profile for a superhero, especially if the clinic grew into prominence.

But the two had bonded almost instantaneously, over a shared love of technology, science, comic books, manga, and heroes. And one rainy night on the way back from the dorm, a year after they'd met, Alfred had pulled Kiku aside into an alley and shown him his power.

"I was born this way," he'd said, after putting down the very large, very full dumpster that he'd lifted with ease. "Pretty awesome, huh?"

It was, very impressive, Kiku remembered having said. Alfred had explained that he had no idea why he was the way he was, and the duo later discovered, upon entering the superhero society, that it was common for a super to be born with their abilities. Alfred was, essentially, a genetic anomaly.

And he wanted to be a superhero. "More than anything, Kiku…"

But being a hero wasn't cheap, they soon learned. There wasn't a superhero scholarship fund that Alfred could apply to, nor were there many ways to get into the public eye with one's powers without revealing one's identity. Some heroes got lucky breaks, were discovered and mentored, or were able to make themselves known without any resources. But Kiku thought that if Alfred was going to take this seriously, that was not a chance he should be waiting for. He needed to make it happen himself. So Alfred and Kiku decided, that they'd make enough money to do so.

And that's when they began their technological exploits. They created a popular networking site, and within six months, had more than enough money and resources to introduce Freedom Star to the world.

Within a year, Freedom Star was a sensation. Omoikane and Freedom Star began releasing technology under their names, and it was bought by all manners of citizens worldwide- from businesses to governments. Within two years, Freedom Star was the most popular superhero in the nation. At this time, Kiku and Alfred also both graduated university. They'd moved into their house in Tri City a year before, and they both managed to secure their current jobs post-graduation.

Three years later was now, and Kiku sometimes thought, that he had no idea where he'd be if he hadn't met Alfred. He was positive that he'd have a well paying job, technological wiz that he was, but he knew that Alfred, even in his abrasiveness and his over enthusiasm, had given him untold opportunities.

And had trusted him with everything he was.

Kiku had done the same for Alfred though, given him unending assistance, helped him reach his dream. That's why, even though he was sitting at this table with Heracles and truly having a good time just being in his presence, his first priority was still Alfred.

Kiku rented a small apartment downtown. He never stayed there, but it was his legal address. If someone found him out as Omoikane, the last thing he wanted to do was lead them straight to the address that Freedom Star resided at as well. He kept details about his personal life discreet, in attempt to avoid letting any hints slip by. He used a separate phone just for Alfred, one that he scrambled the signal so it was untraceable and kept the number private on (he did this to Alfred's phone as well). To Heracles, he was just a pencil pusher at a small business firm.

Sometimes, he felt as if he were living even more of a double life than Alfred was. But it suited him, Kiku thought. Alfred was energetic and social, always bubbling for attention. Kiku on the other hand, was more than all right with being quiet, fading into the background as a silent support.

That didn't mean that he didn't want a bit of attention now and then though, and Alfred paid it to him. Even with everything that went on, they still made time for weekly video game marathons.

And Heracles was paying an almost _embarrassing_ amount of attention to him. He was sweet and mild, and very tender in his behavior toward the smaller man. He listened when he spoke, and Kiku honestly found conversation with the other man to be very stimulating.

Once dinner was over (Heracles paid that night), Kiku felt filled to the brim with delicious Italian and anxious to go home. He wanted to talk to Alfred as soon as possible regarding if he'd been told to be silent about Rose or not. In his heart, he knew that he'd rather stay with Heracles a little longer though. Alfred would be all right. He wasn't worried about his safety, more curious about what had occurred.

He really was a workaholic. He sighed to himself.

"Thank you very much again for inviting me out, Heracles," Kiku said with a bow as the pair stood outside the restaurant. "I'm terribly sorry if I inconvenienced you in any way."

Heracles smiled lazily and placed a hand on Kiku's cheek. He flinched a bit, not yet comfortable with public displays of affection, but relaxed. "You always apologize. There's no need. I like hanging out with you a lot…"

Kiku nodded, leaning just barely into his touch. "I like spending time with you as well, Heracles."

Heracles leaned down, placing his free hand on the other side of Kiku's face and capturing his lips in a gentle kiss. Kiku tensed, but then melted into his touch, his hands gripping the fabric of Heracles's dress shirt.

"I apologize, but I should probably go home now," Kiku said, breathless, once they'd pulled apart. Heracles had moved his hands down, and they were now resting on his shoulders.

"D'you want me to walk you home?" he asked.

Kiku shook his head in the negative. "No. I'm all right. Thank you for offering though."

Heracle's lips quirked up into a small smile. "You say that every time we go out. Just wanna make sure you get home okay…"

His cheeks flushed. "I-I will give you a call when I get home."

Nodding slowly, the other man gave him another kiss, this one shorter and chaster. "Mmkay. But maybe next time you can come home with me? I'd really like for you to meet all of my cats…"

Kiku's face grew darker, and he glanced away. "Well… I do like cute things…"

Silence fell between the pair for several moments, before Heracles spoke up again. "Kiku… I won't do anything if you're not ready for it."

The shorter man's mouth dropped, and he let go of Heracles, idly rubbing his wrist. "Th-that's good… because I knew you wanted to sculpt me, but I'm very sorry, I'm just not comfortable doing that nude and- "

Heracles laughed lightly. "That's… not what I was talking about, but we won't do that either. Would love if you'd agree to that sometime though…"

"I-I just don't want something like that to be seen publicly!" Kiku replied, the words spilling out fast. "And if you sculpt it, people would see it."

Heracles shook his head, pushing Kiku's bangs up and placing a soft kiss on his forehead. "All right… this time Thursday then?"

Kiku nodded curtly. "That sounds like it will work well. I'll call you when I've decided where to eat, since it is my turn to choose and pay. I hope you like my choice. If not, we can do something-"

"I'm sure it'll be good…"

"Then thank you very much again," he finished. "Good evening, Heracles."

Kiku turned and swiftly began to walk away. His sojourn home would be mostly underground, through the subway system, into an abandoned segment of it, and then up into Omoikane and Freedom Star's underground base.


	3. Finding Freedom Chapter 3

**Finding Freedom**

 _Chapter 3_

By Everything is Magic

* * *

To Arthur, there was nothing so organic, so pure, as pen on paper. Nothing like having the ability to whip one's hand across it and weave stories, like a magic wand conjuring dreams into life. He had hardly been without his stories after dying, but he had been without a manner in which to record them.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. He'd told them to thousands of children, and it was his wish that many of them had passed those stories down to their own children. It was improbable that they'd remember him specifically, for humans had a habit of forgetting all magic they'd encountered in their childhood. But perhaps, he hoped, they'd still recall the stories.

He liked these pens much better than the ones he'd used when he was alive. They were easy to use, and when he ran out of ink, he'd just snatch another one from the small writing utensil cup on the counter. He'd gone through four already.

Arthur stared at the stack of paper. He had only stopped writing to eat, a sandwich because he didn't trust himself with the modern heating appliances, as well as now, to watch the interview that Alfred had left a message about.

He could manage something as simple as turning the TV on, at least.

Alfred was ridiculously charismatic, he discovered upon watching the interview. As Freedom Star, he had a permanent smile on his face that never came across as forced. Either it was natural or he'd had loads of practice. Arthur took several moments to survey his skintight superhero outfit in the better light of the studio. It was mostly blue, the high neck cut down into a V in front, revealing a bit of bare skin, that ended a bit above the collar bone. His sleeves were long and his hands were bare. A great white star decorated the center of his chest, and teeing down from that; it was red all the way to right below his white utility belt. The bottom half was blue, and he wore knee high white boots. Alfred was sitting in the interviewee's chair, one leg resting atop the other as he babbled in response to the reporter's queries.

Somehow he managed to look both ridiculous and fantastic in what he was wearing.

None of the questions he was asked gave much insight into his character, Arthur felt. They were… for lack of a better description, rather shallow. The news anchor, an older man, asked him the same kind of questions that Arthur thought he might ask a film star or a singer (from Arthur's limited experience, at least). But Alfred was a superhero, wasn't he? He was… not in the same league as celebrities like that. He was famous because he helped people, but they discussed his defeat of 'Ice Phantom' or whatever as if it were a role he'd just completed in a film. Arthur half thought it a bit degrading that they treated him like a common gossip subject, although Alfred either didn't notice or was taking it in stride.

"Well as usual, we look forward to seeing more heroics from you, Freedom Star!"

"Thanks a lot." That smile again.

"Anything you'd like to say before we sign off?"

Alfred looked straight at the camera. To Arthur, it felt like he was staring straight at him. "Um, I have a friend that I met recently. I told him to watch tonight, so uh… Arthur, I hope you're watching like I told you to." He waved at the camera, and Arthur felt his cheeks flare up in a hot blush.

"I-idiot…"

The interview ended and Arthur turned off the television, cursing over the fact that his face still felt warm. He grabbed a glass of water to cool himself down (it hardly worked), and went back to weaving his story. The pen graced the paper and he wrote…

 _"Can you fly?" she asked, pushing a strand of long golden hair behind her ear. Her eyes were bright; brimming with the joy and wonderment that she imagined came with adventures untold, ones that she wished to experience._

 _"As sure as a fish can swim and a horse can run, I can fly," he answered._

 _She took his hand._

 _  
_

* * *

Heracles closed his eyes, wanting more than anything to just tune Sadiq out and fall asleep.

"I ain't got time to wait for yer messin' around, Heracles," Sadiq said from his place at the head of the glass table. Gupta was sitting on his left side, quiet and observant, whereas Heracles was on his right, wishing he was anywhere but at the headquarters of the Davara Syndicate.

"Geh, Sadiq," Heracles snapped, "I'm working on it. I just…" He turned away, his expression rueful. "I just really don't think that he's Omoikane, all right?"

It was a lie. Kiku's behavior was suspicious. He left quickly after every date, he never allowed Heracles to know where he lived, and he caught him sneaking text messages under the table almost every single time they ate together.

Sadiq rested his chin in his hands and snorted, his eyes rolling behind the white mask he wore. "Yer fucking sweet on him, ain't you?"

Heracles struggled to remain cool, beating down any embarrassment and shaking his head. "Don't be stupid, although I know you can't help that. Kiku's… not my type."

Also a lie, Heracles told himself. He definitely felt something for the other man, cherished his time with him and his quirks and just… all that made him Kiku. When he kissed him, it was real. By now, everything he did with Kiku was real.

The room was empty, save the three of them. A small standing clock ticked in the middle of the table, and there were dozens of computers spread throughout the large room. All were on, all were searching and combing for information on two things; Freedom Star and the Cooper family.

"Dammit! I'm tired of waitin' around for you to catch a hint though!" Sadiq smacked a hand on the table. "We should just bring 'em in. Capture Kiku and get information out of 'em that way."

"You know that won't work," Gupta finally spoke up. He had his arms crossed over his chest and a neutral expression on his face. "If he is Omoikane, he'll never tell us anything about Freedom Star, no matter what we do. That's just fact. We can't use force to get this information."

Heracles sighed, pressing a hand to his forehead. "Sadiq, you're basing this all off one tiny hint…"

Two months previously, the Davara Syndicate finally came across something in its quest to unmask Freedom Star and Omoikane. Their reasons were simple. It had nothing to do with the duo's penchant for heroics. The Syndicate and its leader, Sadiq, could care less about those. Instead, it was about the technology the two had access to, had created. For years, people had been buzzing about technology beyond what the duo had released to the public, items they hadn't patented and had kept to themselves for various reasons. And sometimes, Freedom Star would slip and even admit as much. "We have a lot of stuff we're working on, a lot of stuff we haven't released to the market yet;" an innocent comment, but enough to assure Sadiq that what he was aspiring to capture was real. He would acquire those machines, computers, whatever from the two, and patent them himself. The money he would make would be… extraordinary.

All he had to do was find out who they were, threaten them with fully disclosing their identities to the world, then make a promise to keep it secret in exchange for the tech. That would be enough. They didn't have to come to harm at all if they cooperated.

As for the Coopers, they were another matter entirely.

The lead they were following was a phonecall. Just one phonecall, from a small business firm in mid-town; a short "Freedom Star, you're needed downtown, at the corner of Perry and Devine!" from the extension of one Kiku Honda. And sure enough, Freedom Star had shown up at that location less than fifteen minutes later. A careless slip, but it was enough.

"It's a damn good hint, and it's the best one we got, Heracles!" Sadiq snapped. "I'm endin' the meeting tonight. Ain't got time for any more of this, especially if you got no shit to tell me even after _nine dates_."

Heracles huffed and stood up, more eager than ever to get home to his apartment and to his horde of inevitably hungry cats.

* * *

It was obvious that Arthur had written a lot when I was gone. Yeah, there was the giant stack of used paper, as well as the several discard pens. But what I first noticed was actually the fact that his fingers were stained with ink.

Well, I was glad that he'd seemingly enjoyed himself. That was awesome, at least.

We were sitting down eating dinner (carryout, because Kiku had gone out and picked up pizza for us), when I finally decided to bring up the interview. Okay, the thing was that I really had kind of hoped he'd watched it. It wasn't like there'd been anything special about the interview. I think I have a staple collection of like, sixty questions that reporters cycle through, if that. It gets… well eventually you kind of feel like you're giving canned answers, but what can you do when you've already been asked that question twenty times in the last week? No I don't have a girlfriend, no I'm not planning on holding auditions for a sidekick, and no I don't mind if _Project Runway_ dedicates an episode to designing a new costume for Freedom Star. As long as they don't expect me to actually wear it, because my current one is awesome enough as is.

But I just wanted to know that Arthur had paid attention to me, I guess? I don't know. It had seemed like a great idea at the time…

"I watched your interview," Arthur said, picking at his pizza. He'd asked for a fork and knife, and was now eating it as if it were a steak or something. Okay, I guess he'd never had pizza before he died. Now _that_ was tragic.

Kiku had gone down into the base to work on something. He'd asked me if I had been confronted by the CIA to stay silent about the Cooper explosion (I had been, right before the interview), and then headed off.

"Oh yeah, I was just about to ask you about that!" I exclaimed, shoving a piece of really, really cheesy pizza in my mouth.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, you git," Arthur grumbled. Geez, what was up his… oh right, dead.

"Wasn't it awesome?"

Arthur rolled his eyes. I stared at him, far more than I really… thought I should be staring, but for some reason, wings and halo aside, Arthur just always caught my eye when he was in the room. I just… liked looking at him. I don't know.

Well I do now but… not at the time.

"It was preposterous," Arthur replied. "An entire hour of you being asked asinine question after asinine question, nothing of value at all. Doesn't that bother you?"

I blinked. That… hadn't been the reaction I was expecting. "It's almost always like that," I began. "It's celebrity. To a lot of people, that's what they see, like I'm a movie star or whatever."

I wiped my hands off on my pajama pants and rested them behind my head. Arthur raised one of his (kind of big) eyebrows.

"And you're okay with that?" he asked. "You go out there and risk your life to be a hero, to save people's lives and stop more from being lost and… you don't mind the fact that to a whole load of people you're just a pretty face on a glossy poster?"

I grinned. "You think I'm pretty?"

Arthur's face went really, really red. It kind of worked for him, in a strange way. "Sh-shut it I didn't mean…"

I waved my hand. "Nah, I think that people do get it though. Yeah, I'm all over magazines and stuff, but… well I kind of like that for one." Arthur scoffed. "But when you save someone, when you… do something really awesome and heroic, the reaction you get, the fact that you know that… someone's alive because of you? It's just… it's like…" I paused, because it was damn hard to put into words, "like everything you've worked for, everything you've done to reach this point… all the pain and frustration? You'd do it all again a thousand times."

Arthur blinked, processing what I'd said, I guess, before a small smile crossed his lips. "Bloody hero," he snorted.

I felt my cheeks warming at this, which I thought was kind of odd, because it's not like I didn't get called hero all the time.

"Th-thanks." I scratched the back of my head. "That's what I do!"

Arthur finished off his pizza and pushed himself out of the chair, walking over to me and cocking his head in a gesture that looked like it meant 'follow me.'

"Uh, huh?"

"You've got a backyard. I saw it," Arthur said.

"Yeah, we do… it's kind of small though." I stood up alongside him.

Arthur waved his hand. "No matter. I'm invisible to anyone but you and Kiku."

"Oh right but…"

"I thought I'd show you that flying thing now," he interrupted.

I nodded, in a way that was probably really dumb and enthusiastic and not that heroic. But no taking it back, because I'd already done it. "Yes!"

We walked out to my back porch, and it was a cool summer night, my favorite kind. There was a light breeze, but it felt mellow and awesome. Back before I went to university and met Kiku, I used to spend nights like this outside under the stars, thinking and dreaming of what I could do, what I could use my power for.

It's kind of a cheesy thing to say, but there's no place better for dreaming than under a starry sky.

I grew up in a pretty small town, so there were always a lot of stars to see. Here in the big city, there weren't half as many, which was sort of sad.

But… when Arthur took flight, I discovered that it was cooler than any starscape.

I'd seen superheroes with the power of flight before, or with flight rings or whatever. But there was a difference between that and… wings. This wasn't a superpower, but instead something a lot more… magical.

It was almost a full moon tonight, so the moonlight kind of… bathed Arthur and caused his great white wings to sort of glow. It was, why deny it, really, really beautiful. Arthur flapped his wings like some kind of huge swan or… well there was a lot of strength to it, so maybe an eagle.

But either way, it looked amazing, and I sort of really, really wanted to be up there with him. I was so enraptured by the ease in which he flew; up, down, around, as if stretching his wings, that I didn't even notice when he came down to land.

Or when he missed his landing by just an inch or two and stubbed his toe on the edge of the patio.

But I did notice when he landed smack dab on top of me, his face mere inches above me, his green eyes wide, his warm breath tickling my face, and his body pressed firm against mine.

"H-hey…" I managed, and I guess I was so infatuated with what I'd just seen that I didn't even think to shove him off.

"H-hallo," Arthur said, breathless. He didn't push away either.

"I'm surprised you have warm breath, since you're… you know…"

Well that had been lame.

"I'm an angel, not a ghost," Arthur retorted.

I laughed shortly. "Ahaha good, because I'm afraid of ghosts."

I was still staring at him, and I could tell that he was staring at me. It's odd, because usually when you see someone up close, you… start noticing little flaws that make them less attractive. That wasn't the case with Arthur.

His eyebrows were huge, but as I looked at him closer, I realized that they really kind of worked for him, for the shape of his face and just... complimented his features, I guess. He had a slightly small nose that was sort of cute, especially because there was this light spray of freckles over it that I just…

It kind of made me want to pinch his cheeks.

I could hear the summer cicadas singing, but even they weren't as loud as both our heartbeats. He had that too. It… kind of caused a little pang in my chest. How could Arthur be so alive in every way, and yet… not be alive? It didn't seem that fair to me.

Arthur was still above me, and it was… almost like he was frozen. His hands were clenching my shoulders. His cheeks were bright red. Mine felt like they probably were too.

"Hey Arthur?" I asked.

"Mmm?"

"You uh…" Oh god, why was I asking this? "You're kind of old fashioned right, I mean like… it was a long time ago when you died and…."

"I suppose, to you I would be old fashioned," Arthur cut in, and his voice, like mine, was still raspy and breathless. "Why do you ask?"

"Were you uh… married or anything?"

I probably sounded really weird to him, but I wanted to know. I wanted to know if Arthur would be disturbed that I thought he was cute, or that he was beautiful when he flew and… just… stuff like that.

Arthur snorted. "Absolutely not. Never planned on marrying either…"

I bit my lip. "Oh ah… why not? I thought everyone got married back then."

"Firstly, that's not true," Arthur began and oh god we were still on top of each other, "Secondly… I'm not…" he exhaled deeply, "I'm not interested in women."

I kind of wanted to hug him then, squeeze him around the waist in excitement, but I resisted. "R-really? Th-that's… cool. Me too, I think. I mean, I've dated a couple of girls and… they've been okay but… I think that I-I well I had uh-"

I couldn't say anything else, because it was then that Arthur leaned down and touched his lips to mine.

It wasn't really a proper kiss. Arthur could even brush it off as an accident if he'd wanted to, I'm sure. It was more like, he sort of… grazed his lips against mine, soft and feather-light. If I had been the one doing it, the message would have been something like "I'm not going to kiss you, but I'm going to do this because then you at least know what I want to!" I wasn't sure if that's what Arthur meant, but it was really the only explanation I could think of. And it was the one I liked best.

Arthur pulled away, and his bright green eyes were sort of half-lidded for a moment. He pushed himself off of me and stood up, finally, brushing his pants off upon doing so. After taking a second to catch my breath, I did the same.

And I stared at him as he stood with his back to me in the moonlight, his wings glowing bright and his halo shining gold.

If I were less awesome, less heroic, I might have… cried or something. As it was, I was totally just rubbing the ball of my palm over my eyes because something had gotten caught in them.

Arthur the angel was… so beautiful, but it also meant that Arthur was dead, that in some unfair twist of fate or destiny or whatever, the world had barely had a chance to know him before he was taken from it. Of course I'd known this before, but it was kind of like what that meant hadn't really sunk in. It caused my chest to tighten and my throat to feel raw. I was so used to being able to fix problems. I'm a superhero, after all. If my powers couldn't do it, someone else's could. But… no amount of awesome heroics could fix this. Freedom Star was useless here, and I hated that. I hated it so damn much that I was balling up my fists at my side and I was clenching my eyes shut and I was shouting inwardly, a constant stream of curses.

Especially because at that exact moment, Arthur turned his head and looked back at me, bathed in moonlight and with a soft, tiny smile on his face.

It was the first of many times, that it felt to me, for a moment, that Arthur Kirkland was the only thing in the world that mattered.

* * *

 **Note:**  
 **Davara** \- Tavara or Davara is a demon of the night or nightmare in Turkish folklore of the Trabzon region.


	4. Finding Freedom Chapter 4

**Finding Freedom**

 _Chapter 4_

By Everything is Magic

* * *

It wasn't a kiss. I just sort of… fell forward onto him, I suppose. And my lips brushed against his, and it was all rather awkward.

And then when I stood up, that fond smile I gave him was accidental. It wasn't a smile of affection, certainly not one expressing my delight at the amount of attention he'd given me, the way he was so… intrigued and impressed by me. Nor was it one of endearment. Alfred wasn't bad, really, but I wasn't so endeared by him that I'd do _that_.

I've always lied to myself. For as long as I can remember, whenever something occurred, whenever I thought something or realized something that I simply did not want to believe or did not find to be likely, I'd lie to myself about it. Well, all right, not every… single time, but quite frequently. And it was hardly just when these realizations or actions or whatnot were negative. No, quite often they were positive; like a kiss or a smile or… a certain idiot of a superhero showing me affection. I can't recall a time when I wasn't at least a bit cynical. It's best not to get one's hopes up, you know. Perhaps it started as a bit of a defense mechanism. I'm not quite sure myself.

I did kiss Alfred. In retrospect, why the bloody hell not? He was asking me questions like 'have you ever been married,' and… coaxed my sexual orientation out of me and told me his and all that rot. And then he kept staring at me, like… as if he actually rather enjoyed doing it.

It certainly made sense that my cynicism kicked in there though, trying to explain away everything that had occurred as anything but what it actually was. It was, after all, beyond idiotic for me to be doing what I was doing.

Which I now realize was… falling in love.

I was dead, of course. And Alfred is very much alive.

Not exactly a match made in- well, I'm not even dignify that sentence by finishing it.

After that moment, I attempted to distance myself from Alfred. I'd snap at him more often, give him biting retorts, and on the whole act as if I didn't want to spend that much time with him. The insults started out small, calling him an egotistical idiot and saying he was all brawn and no brains and that sort of thing, but Alfred would laugh those off and call me a stodgy old dead guy or something similarly stupid. They just… bounced off of him.

I tried harder. I went straight for his pride, telling him that he was a piss poor hero, that a bit of super strength did not a hero make.

It might have even worked. Alfred had looked hurt, his blue eyes flashing and a frown on his lips. He'd told me to 'shut up,' and that 'you have no idea what you're talking about,' and stormed down to his base. He didn't come back that night. I didn't even see him again until he got home from work the next evening.

I felt awful. I'd been staying with this man for a week, and he'd been nothing but accommodating. He worked his arse off at both of his jobs, and he may have been an idiot, but he was a damn good-hearted one and…

I very much did not like to see him upset.

The day after that, I… made dinner for Alfred. Kiku was out with Heracles, so it was just me and him. It wasn't exactly… the most impressive way of showing that I was sorry, that I did appreciate all he'd done for me, but my resources were somewhat limited. I'd spent all day trying to figure out the oven and stove for it.

Alfred told me that my food, cottage pie cobbled together from ingredients I'd found in the kitchen, was horrible. He could barely choke it down and it tasted radioactive, he said. Honestly! The gall of him.

But… once I assured him that no, I was not trying to poison him, he… wasn't upset any longer. He even reasoned that I'd probably just forgotten how to cook in the long time I'd been dead. I thought this was bollocks, because to me it tasted delicious, but at least he wasn't angry.

And… he even thanked me (before making us both ice cream sundaes to 'cleanse our mouths' or some other such nonsense).

"I'm sorry… about the other night," I finally said, while staring down into my fudge covered sundae as if it were quite fascinating.

Alfred smiled, touched, a bit of caramel sauce on the tip of his nose. "Ah uh… don't worry about it, Arthur. As long as you didn't mean it."

"I… didn't."

His smile grew, and to use a cliché, my heart skipped a beat.

That night Alfred and I sat on his patio, in his porch swing, and talked. I told him so many things, about my life and my afterlife and the stories wherein. He did the same, relaying tales of his childhood and how Freedom Star came to be and anecdotes of his heroics. He got a bit boasty when talking about his heroics, and I berated him for that. But he laughed it off and teased me right back, just like he'd done before when I'd bickered with him. I found that I… rather liked that.

It was comfortable. I felt… content.

The following evening, Alfred was out late due to participating in a magazine photoshoot. When he returned, he was exhausted, but he still made time to properly show me around his base, which he had yet to really do. He came home early the next day, entering through the base. He was sweaty and still in his superhero costume, having left work a few hours before the end of his shift to battle 'Seismic Wave' (yes truly, he was called this) midtown.

But after he'd taken a lengthy shower, he took me down to his base and we watched a film together on his… rather massive screen. I'd never actually been in a movie theater before, or even seen a film from start to finish, but considering how huge his screen was, I imagined that I was having a similar experience. He made popcorn and carried his couch down into the base (with one hand, bloody showoff), and showed me a film that I could best describe as a… rollicking fantasy adventure, and with a rather prominent love story at that.

It's not precisely what I would have expected from him, but when I mentioned that to him he turned away, his cheeks flushing pink and mumbled something about how "you told me before that you liked to write stuff like this so…"

When the next evening came around, this time he was late. Seismic Wave had made his dastardly self known once more in a hostage situation at the city's largest bank downtown.

I watched it all on the television. Kiku sat next to me, occasionally glancing at his phone and sending text messages (whenever he did this, on the screen Alfred would glance down at a small band he wore on his wrist momentarily to read what Kiku had texted him). It was all quite surreal, knowing that this… intense situation was occurring right at this very moment, as we were watching it. Things like this did not exist when I was alive, quite obviously.

Seismic Wave had taken eight people hostage, holding them in a prison he'd erected from the earth itself (quite obviously, his powers had something to do with controlling rock and earth). Street pavement riveted upward, creating a cave that held them inside.

He reminded Alfred every few minutes, that if he did not find a way to save the hostages soon, it was likely they'd run out of oxygen. And quite expectedly, he was not going to let them go if Freedom Star didn't allow him to leave with all the money he'd stolen from the establishment.

It was when it really, really began to sink in that this was real and that somewhere, Alfred was in extreme danger and fighting to save these people's lives, that I began to fret.

Kiku was calm and cool, as I assume he was used to this. But I…

I found it difficult to watch. The man Alfred fought lifted and threw large chunks of rock and pavement with the greatest of ease, and although Alfred, with his strength, could throw them right back, the earth was this man's strength, so he had no trouble deflecting them. And when Alfred would try to punch through the prison to free the hostages, Seismic Wave would just summon more earth around them, causing the walls to become thicker.

It was awful, and I could not help but look away quite often. At one point, Kiku even gasped, and I noticed then that Seismic Wave had actually captured Alfred himself in a half cocoon of earth. I cursed under my breath and my heart clenched and I… did something that despite being an angel, I… never really did.

I prayed.

Alfred busted free, the rocks exploding around him. He looked scratched up, but otherwise all right.

But he was winded, breathing heavily from hours of fighting this… villain. A police officer darted on screen, over the rubble and up to Freedom Star. He whispered something in his ear.

Alfred looked affronted, quite pissed, actually. He pointed to himself and pursed his lips, and then gestured toward Seismic Wave, his eyebrows narrowing.

The police officer shook his head. Kiku typed something into his phone.

Alfred glanced down at his wrist and sighed, dejected.

That night, when Alfred came home, all he wanted to do was sit on the couch and snack. Seismic Wave had gotten away with his money, the police and Kiku both agreeing that it was better than risking the continuing safety of the captives. The fight had gone on long enough, according to them.

I quite agreed with the decision. Then again, perhaps I… just wanted Alfred safe and at home.

* * *

Alfred was _not_ working that Saturday. No interviews, no zookeeping, no photoshoots, no nothing. Two days ago he'd fought the failed battle with Seismic Wave, and he really wanted, more than anything, a day to just chill out and have fun. The battle had brought him down. It's not that he'd never failed to capture a villain before. Of course he had. But this was… the first time that he'd been told to stop fighting, told because apparently, they didn't believe he could do it.

It was a punch to the gut, and to his pride. Even Kiku had backed the decision.

That Friday at work had been a pain. He was used to his coworkers chatting about Freedom Star's latest exploits, babbling on about what he'd done the night before or how he looked on a magazine cover. It was something he'd had to become accustomed to, having to pretend not to react either too positively or too negatively to their comments, to respond to them as if Freedom Star were just another celebrity. Bruce had been surprised at Freedom Star's inability to defeat Seismic Wave. There were many situations in which a villain would escape, he noted, but… he'd never seen Freedom Star forced to give up a fight like that. Katyusha, who worked in the aviary, had remarked that it was no big deal, that every superhero had defeats like this, and that at least the hostages were all right. Alfred had nodded in agreement, as had, thankfully, several of his coworkers.

But Katyusha's brother, Ivan, who did not work at the zoo but was visiting to drop off a lunch for his sister, had a more negative opinion. He thought that Freedom Star was just… getting to be washed up.

Alfred had never liked Ivan.

He spent as much time with the animals, and as little time with his coworkers as possible for the rest of the afternoon. And he was more grateful than ever that Saturday was one of his days off.

Alfred had plans in mind after all; plans involving a day out with a particular angel that had been staying at his home.

When Alfred woke up that Saturday morning, Arthur was already awake. He was sitting, legs crossed, in the kitchen and dining room area with Kiku, who was on his laptop typing up a storm.

Arthur on the other hand, had a needle and thread. One of Alfred's old t-shirts rested in his lap, and he was pulling the needle through with his teeth.

Alfred raised his eyebrows, opening the fridge to grab some orange juice as he did so. He drank it straight out of the container.

"You're sewing Arthur?" He sat down at the dining room table next to the angel, orange juice carton still in hand.

Arthur nodded, the needle now out of his mouth. "Get a glass, you git."

Alfred chuckled. "No need. I'm gonna finish this off right now anyway."

Arthur scoffed, rolling his eyes. Alfred grinned, because honestly it was kind of cute.

"When you just cut the shirts, the fabric frays, if you know what I mean? I've worn this shirt a few times and the hole in the back for my wings is getting stretched and too large. I thought I'd sew a seam around the hole to prevent that from happening more."

He never stopped his swift, easy motions as he explained all of this.

"Sorry, I have no idea how to sew so…" Alfred plopped down the orange juice carton and rubbed off the juice above his lip. "I can do buttons if I have to, I guess."

"It's quite all right," Arthur replied. "It's just that I've been here awhile, and if it's going to be much longer, I thought I should do this."

Kiku cleared his throat. "It's been two weeks and still no sign of Rose or her parents. I've been searching everything I can but…"

"Don't worry, Kiku," Alfred interrupted, gesturing dismissively. "It's cool." _Take as long as you want,_ he almost added.

But he did smile at the news, and Arthur noticed, a pink stain rising on his cheeks. He wasn't exactly scowling himself over the idea of staying on Earth longer.

On the contrary, for the past several days, neither of them had even remembered to bring _up_ the Cooper search with Kiku.

"Hey it's your day off too, Kiku," Alfred said. "You doing anything fun for it?"

Kiku shook his head in the negative. "I was planning on defragmenting the secondary system in the base today…"

"You could always set the defrag to go and then leave. You don't need to be there for that," Alfred reasoned.

Kiku was about to argue back when Arthur cleared his throat. "Your sculptor friend, Alfred told me about him? I… saw in the paper this morning that he's debuting an exhibit at Tri City Nouveau this afternoon."

Alfred's eyes widened, and he reached across Arthur to pat his friend on the back. "Huh, really Kiku? Why the heck aren't you going? Sounds like it's a big deal to him…"

Kiku's cheeks grew scarlet and he glanced away. "I have a lot of work to do and- well he offered me a ticket but…"

"Then go," Alfred cut in, an encouraging smile on his face. "Seriously, you work too hard sometimes. Spend some time with the guy. I bet he'd be really excited if you showed up."

Kiku stared down at his lap pensively for several moments, before finally nodded. "You're… right Alfred. I'm very sorry. I'll go."

The taller man grinned and let out a short laugh. "Don't need to apologize to me, Kiku." He averted his eyes to the angel between them. "Arthur and I are going out today too!"

Arthur started up, dropping the needle and thread into his lap in surprise. "Excuse me, what?"

Alfred's smile grew. "Yep! My clothes aren't working for you, so I thought we'd get you some new ones." He paused. "Also I uh-" his cheeks grew red, "uh—never mind, I'll ask you later."

"You what? Spit it out," Arthur replied, picking up his needle and thread once more. He was… trying not to blush himself, because… Alfred wanted to take him out? Buy him things that he didn't even truly need? It was… nice.

Alfred frowned and looked away, mumbling, "Not in front of Kiku…"

Arthur's blush only intensified. Kiku sighed and shook his head knowingly.

* * *

Shopping with an angel required a lot of special considerations. Firstly, Arthur couldn't pick up the clothing he liked off the rack. Neither of them thought it would be a grand idea for a clerk or customer to look over and see a shirt or pair of slacks floating in midair. He had to point it out to Alfred and have him pull it off. Secondly, if Alfred wanted to speak to Arthur, he had to talk quietly or risk looking like he was… a bit off his rocker.

They quickly got used to these accommodations, but there were a few instances at first where Alfred would laugh or respond to something Arthur said in his naturally loud voice, and… people noticed.

Arthur had been taken to a fashionable men's clothing store in uptown. It was the first time he'd been in Alfred's car (a rather nondescript Ford Taurus), and Arthur found that he did not like the feeling of the seatbelt across his shoulder and the top of his wings very much.

But what Arthur noticed first once they arrived at the store, was that it was… very nice. It was the kind of establishment that one would need to have a lot of money to frequent. He knew Alfred had that kind of income, or at least, Freedom Star and Omoikane did, but he hardly understood why Alfred would want to spend it on him when he could probably find nice clothing for a fraction of the price.

It wasn't as if anyone but Alfred and Kiku were even going to _see_ him in the clothing.

Alfred insisted though, and he allowed Arthur free reign of the store, letting him choose anything he wished. At first Arthur tried to find items with low price tags, but upon realizing that there was really nothing that wasn't pricey, he began to just pick out things he liked.

He chose three sweatervests, one with an argyle print that he found to be quite pleasant, several button up shirts, two ties, a jacket (which he thought unnecessary, but Alfred insisted upon), two pairs of shoes, and four pairs of slacks. Not knowing Arthur's size, they picked up doubles of some of them.

"Pick something out a little more casual, Arthur," Alfred said, clothes slung over his arms as they walked to the dressing room.

"I see nothing wrong with these items for everyday wear," Arthur replied.

The taller man shook his head, a small smile on his lips. "Hold on Arthur, I'll go grab you some stuff."

Alfred came back several minutes later with almost double the clothing he'd left with. This was getting ridiculous, Arthur thought, his cheeks staining pink as he registered just how much Alfred wanted him to try on.

"Honestly Alfred… it's not necessary to get me this much…"

Alfred beamed. "Hey, it's no big deal! I've got a lot of money, so I should use it for something worthwhile."

Arthur turned away, his face heating up more. "Y-you… git…"

He blinked, oblivious. "Huh? Whatever, Arthur. Let's get a dressing room."

* * *

The problem with being invisible to others, the greatest problem so far, Arthur and Alfred discovered, was sharing a dressing room. They hadn't thought about it until they got to their assigned room, until Alfred realized that he couldn't exactly have Arthur go in the room by himself when to the clerk, only one person had even gone back there.

His face flushed crimson as he stepped into the changing room with Arthur, turning around immediately to face the door. It was fortunate that the room was good-sized for one of its type, but it… did not make it much less awkward.

Alfred exhaled deeply, sliding his eyes closed and trying to calm his heartbeat. He was a hero. He could handle something as simple as Arthur undressing a mere foot or two behind him. It was no problem… no problem at all.

"Oh who am I kidding," Arthur mumbled to himself, quiet enough that Alfred could not discern it. "This is so bloody embarrassing." He pulled a dress shirt on, struggling to button it over his wings. Eventually he just gave up. It would fit, he could tell from the pull of it, and he knew how much space his wings took up when closed.

He slid the slacks and shoes on, both a perfect fit, and he observed himself in the mirror. Barring the prominent bump on his back where the shirt covered his wings and the halo floating above his head, he looked… normal, like any bloke he might see on the street.

 _If only…_

He held up one of the sweatervests in front of him, assuming that pulling it on would prove too difficult to bother with, and cleared his throat. "A-Alfred? Is this… all right?"

Alfred opened his eyes and turned around. Arthur looked awkward, tugging at the top hem of his pants and glancing anywhere but forward.

"I-I can't really pull it on fully with my wings but… all the shirts and pants are the same size so, if one fits…"

Unthinkingly he stopped holding the sweatervest up, allowing it to fall into one hand.

Alfred gulped. Arthur didn't seem to get it, but… more expensive clothes did fit better, the cut of them more flattering and… all that other stuff. And it was obvious with Arthur, the way the slacks fell perfectly at his hips, allowing just a bit of his hipbone to jut above them (this all visible since his _shirt_ was open). His skin was smooth and pale. If it had been at all marred in life, Alfred had no idea, but now it was…

He clenched his fists, willing himself not to reach forward and touch him. Arthur's expression was one of confusion, mingled with nervousness and insecurity. His cheeks were stained pink, and his mouth was very slightly open, and his eyes were wide and green, his eyebrows cocked ever so faintly.

Arthur looked… really amazing. Then again, a part of Alfred added, he always had.

"Alfred?"

Snapped out of his thoughts, he smiled at the angel. "You look great! Really han- just good, they fit you well!"

Arthur turned his face away. "T-thank you… but…"

"Let's get them all!" Alfred quickly grabbed up the clothing, sorting out the items that weren't the size Arthur had just tried on. "Just change back and we can go. Okay, awesome?"

He handed Alfred a shirt he'd dropped, a black t-shirt with a distressed Union Jack emblazoned on the front ( _oddly thoughtful_ , Arthur mused). "Look Alfred, I really don't need all this, I'm telling you. "

Alfred pouted. "Geez Arthur, just let me do this for you, all right?"

"Alfred, no one but you and Kiku can even _see_ me."

The taller man frowned. How did Arthur not get it? He just wanted to do something nice for the guy, get him some decent things to wear outside a dress with sandals and an old t-shirt with faded old pants, but he had to argue about it? He… liked Arthur. He wanted to do awesome things for him, because that's what a hero should do for someone they like!

And Alfred was a hero through and through.

Plus, he had… something in mind he wanted to do with Arthur. He'd been trying to work up the courage to do it for several days, ever since that night they'd sat outside, watching the stars and telling each other their stories. And when they'd watched the movie together, sitting close to each other, the way the cushions of the couch sunk sometimes causing them to slide closer, his resolve had intensified. It felt so… awesome.

If he was going to take Arthur on a date, it would only be right for the angel to have the right clothes to wear for it.

* * *

Alfred won the argument, and the pair had walked out of the store, two pairs of massive bags in Alfred's arms.

Now they were back at home, and Arthur glanced at the clock; one p.m. Kiku had left already, and he genuinely hoped that the young man was enjoying his time at the exhibit. Even he could tell that Kiku overworked himself. He was sitting at the table again, needle and thread in hand as he created even and far more professional looking holes for his wings in the back of one of his new dress shirts. He had already completed the argyle sweatervest he was so fond of.

Alfred insisted that he do it as quickly as he could, because they had to be somewhere at two.

Arthur had no idea where they were going. Several possibilities came to mind, one or two of which made him rather blush. But it was- probably just some strange whim of Alfred's; a trip to his zoo or some other such idea.

He broke the thread with his teeth and tied it off, satisfied with his handiwork. Within minutes he'd changed, and he knocked on Alfred's door.

Arthur heard Alfred scamper toward the door, and he opened it with a smile. "Hey Arthur, you ready?"

Arthur just nodded, for he found it was all he could do. When Alfred wasn't dressed as Freedom Star, he generally wore his zookeeper uniform or t-shirts and jeans. Today he was… quite spruced up.

He had a crisply ironed black dress shirt, a solid blue tie, and a pair of very nicely fitting slacks. His hair was lightly gelled, but that one strand still stuck up, stubborn.

Alfred was stupidly, ridiculously handsome.

"I-I'm ready," Arthur finally spoke, not even wondering why his voice came out breathy, because he knew. "Where… are we going?"

He had a feeling it wasn't the zoo.

At this, heat rose to Alfred's cheeks. While he'd looked handsome before, he looked… adorable now, blushing bright red. He scratched the back of his head. "I've got- uh… reservations? Umm… for lunch at… this pretty awesome restaurant. I-I asked for a more isolated table, so we can… talk more and uh…"

Alfred bit his lip. He was rambling. He'd been thinking about how to do this for days, ruling out several kind of dumb angel related pickup lines along the way, and here he was, stuttering. _Freedom Star would never do this. Neither should you!_

He took a deep breath and held out his hand, ever so slightly gesturing for Arthur to take it. Arthur hesitated for a moment before laying his hand atop Alfred's open palm.

"Alfred?"

"Arthur Kirkland," he tried his damn hardest to be calm, confident, awesome, "If it's… cool with you, I'd like to take you on a date today."

Arthur's eyes widened, and he could hear his heartbeat pounding in his ears. He could say no and end it all. He could tell Alfred that there was no way this would work, so why bother?

That would be practical.

But Alfred was anything but practical, and perhaps some of that impracticality was rubbing off on Arthur. He smiled and squeezed Alfred's hand, and his wings twitched, just a bit, as he let out of a short laugh.

"I suppose, if you insist, Alfred."


	5. Finding Freedom Chapter 5

**Finding Freedom**

 _Chapter 5_

By Everything is Magic

* * *

The restaurant was nicer than any Arthur had ever been to while alive. The tables and furnishings were done in warm cherry wood, and the chairs were soft and large. They were in a small back corner of the establishment, the back of a booth in front of them hiding them from the sight of the rest of the diners. Alfred had… actually thought this through.

Arthur glanced next to him, at the small stain glassed window next to their table and then over to the chandelier that lit the room with a golden glow.

"I've never been to this place," Alfred said, "but I looked it up on the internet and it had… really awesome reviews." He scratched the back of his head, pausing to take a sip of the glass of Coca-cola he'd ordered. Arthur had not failed to notice, that most of the other diners were drinking wine, coffee, or in his case, tea. Alfred on the other hand, drank soda pop.

"Don't you think the waitress found it odd that you're ordering for two people?" Arthur asked, staring across the table at him. Alfred smiled and shook his head.

"I've got a big appetite?"

Arthur snorted. "The biggest I've seen, I dare say."

He pouted. "I'm a hero, gotta keep myself going!"

The angel took a sip of his beverage; silently thanking God above that tea had not ceased to exist since he'd died. "Oh of course."

Alfred laughed, and Arthur noticed the way his eyes sort of… crinkled at the edges when he did it and… his smile, so genuine and wide. "You're so weird, Arthur."

"I'm a gentleman," he countered, without much real defiance in his tone.

"A gentleman angel, hmm?" Alfred tapped his chin, before breaking into that smile again. "I like it!"

Arthur attempted to hide a blush behind his teacup. He took a deep breath and exhaled. "Alfred?"

"Hmm?"

"I-I…wanted to thank you for bringing me here," he rushed out.

Alfred flushed pink. "Oh yeah well, " he laughed nervously, "I said I wanted to take you on a date, didn't I?"

Before Arthur could answer, the waitress clattered across the marble floor, their lunches in hand; tangliolini for Arthur and potato gnocchi for Alfred.

Arthur caught her shooting Alfred a bewildered look as she asked if everything was all right and took the teacup and glass to refill them, but he either did not notice or did not care.

The angel stared down at his food, sifting the noodles back and forth with his fork. "I suppose you did."

Alfred swallowed a bite of gnocchi and grinned.

* * *

"Can't thank you enough for coming, Kiku," Heracles said as he adjusted his tie, which despite the formality of the occasion, was patterned in a cat print.

Kiku's cheeks warmed, and he glanced away from Heracles. The exhibit was packed with artists and socialites and other wealthy citizens, and Kiku felt a bit out of place.

He shouldn't have, because he was… honestly wealthier than most of the people there. However, the fact that he and Alfred kept their wealth confined to their secret identities meant that neither of them ever really engaged in the lifestyle normally befitting citizens of their monetary worth.

Kiku swished his glass of wine gently and observed one of the statues. Heracles's sculptures were well known for their classical approach to the art, as opposed to the more modern art styles of most of his fellow peers.

Heracles greeted the guests that approached him with a languid politeness that caused a small smile to quirk up Kiku's lips. He kept the smaller man close to his side, seemingly having no problem admitting that Kiku was his boyfriend.

This embarrassed Kiku terribly. He really needed to get used to how much more open Heracles was about these things than he was…

He was pulled from his thoughts by a light squeeze on his shoulder. Heracles met his eyes, a warm expression on his features. "You doing okay, Kiku?"

They were walking around now, Heracles speaking to guests and Kiku using this as a chance to get a better look at the exhibit. His favorite section was the feline sculptures. There were almost twenty of them, and they all showed a precise and admirable understanding of the anatomy of the creatures… in addition to being adorable.

Alfred and Arthur were correct. It was right of him to come to the exhibit to support Heracles. He sighed inwardly. He needed to loosen up, and although it was happening slowly, he thought that Heracles may be the key to that.

"I'm fine, Heracles. I apologize if I've worried you…"

Heracles chuckled deeply. "You're fine." He leaned down, and he was about to press a kiss to Kiku's temple before he was interrupted by a gruff voice.

"Nice day today, huh Heracles?"

Kiku glanced up and observed the man. He was tall and well dressed, in a snappy suit and tie. He had a smattering of stubble on his face, and his eyes were dark and keen. There was a smug smirk on his lips.

"Geh, Sadiq," Heracles grumbled, and he sounded more irritated than Kiku had ever heard from him. The man wasn't often upset, after all. His body has also tensed up, and there was obvious discomfort in his posture.

Kiku's eyes widened, curious. "Heracles…?"

"Kiku, it's my _pleasure_ ," he gritted out, "to introduce you to my half-brother, Sadiq Adnan."

"I didn't know you had a brother," Kiku said.

"I try to forget," Heracles murmured, although Kiku heard him. "Anyway, this is Kiku… Sadiq. He's my-"

"Your boyfriend," Sadiq cut in. "Heard all 'bout him, of course."

There was something in the way that Sadiq spoke, and the way he raked his eyes across him, that made Kiku nervous. He felt as if he were being analyzed, observed down to every minute detail. He shifted and glanced down, unable to make eye contact with the tall, strange man.

"He's cute."

"Keep your hands off of him, Sadiq," Heracles snapped, and his eyes flashed. Kiku's cheeks pinked at how… protective he was being.

Sadiq held up his hands in surrender. "Easy. I don't have any interest in him like _that_ , and y'know it."

Heracles's shoulders fell, and he took a deep breath to calm himself. "Sadiq. Just leave. Now is not the time. You know I'll be there tonight, if that's what you're worried about."

Shrugging, Sadiq half-smiled. "Heh. Not worried 'bout you showin' up. Just wanted to come an' see your art." He shot a glance to Kiku and his smile grew. "Gonna be goin' then."

"Good," Heracles leveled him a steely glare.

He heaved a sigh of relief once Sadiq had turned around and walked away. Kiku's stomach, which was previously in knots, untwisted. "Heracles… what did he…"

"Family meeting tonight," Heracles said. "I don't have the best relationship with my family, so I don't… really like going to them."

Kiku nodded. "I'm sorry if I'm intruding by suggesting this. I realize that you may consider it too private an affair. But… if you ever wish to speak about it to someone, I would be willing to offer an ear."

Heracles smiled warmly, ruffling Kiku's hair as he did so. "It's not a big deal. I'm… used to it."

"All right. I apologize…" Kiku said, shooting him a look of concern.

"How about a better subject?" Heracles offered. Kiku nodded. "You know my celebrity sculpture collection?"

"Yes… I quite enjoyed the one you did of Lea Zwingli. She's my favorite singer. Also the one you unveiled of Aqua Prism recently. The movement in it is beautiful."

The taller man scratched the back of his head. "Thank you… Kiku. Anyway, for my next project I have a man in mind this time. I know I've done women up to now, but… I would really love to sculpt Freedom Star."

Kiku's eyes widened, infinitesimally. "Freedom Star? Well he is… very famous."

"His physique would allow me to do a more traditional sculpture, like something Greek or Roman. But… it's just a thought. I think that… he is probably very busy."

Kiku nodded, but at the back of his mind, he was plotting a way to get Alfred to agree to sit for Heracles as Freedom Star, without revealing that _he_ was Omoikane in the process.

* * *

Arthur stared at Alfred as they strolled along the main street of downtown Tri City. They'd left the restaurant behind, both full and happy, and now Alfred had decided to show him some of the sites of his beloved city. He babbled about something at almost every corner, every stop; whether it was a monument or a fountain, or in one case a store that sold 'really cool' science trinkets. They ended up going into that one, and Alfred almost bought a deluxe rock tumbler because his old one was apparently broken. He'd found this 'really cool rock in his backyard' that he was pretty sure was an aventurine feldspar (whatever that was. Arthur hadn't the foggiest), and he wanted to polish it up. In the end he'd decided to order one online. The whole thing was confusing as all hell to Arthur, who had no idea what a rock tumbler was and still had only an extremely basic understanding of what the internet was.

Alfred now had two ice cream cones in his hand, one for himself and one for Arthur (who leaned over and licked it every few seconds), and he was explaining the history behind the city's local WWII monument. Arthur had more than a passing familiarity with the war, as it was one of those times in history where angels were needed more than ever. In the century plus that he had been deceased, he'd never spent as much time on Earth as he had during that war. There were so many children that needed help getting to sleep at night during those years. Alfred's grandfather had fought in it, and he spoke with pride of his accomplishments and how he was one of the reasons that Alfred had wanted to be a hero.

Arthur found himself smiling in spite of himself at this. He'd fought in a war and felt no emotion for it, but Alfred and his grandfather had found strength in fighting, a reason to fight that was true and just and… heroic. He felt a pang of envy at this but brushed it away.

The date had gone well, Arthur thought. He and Alfred… clicked, in a way that Arthur never would have thought possible considering their first meeting and how obnoxious he'd found Alfred at first. But when Alfred tried, he could be considerate and sweet and even charming, in his own unique sort of way.

He felt his face heating up. Of course, it was all for naught. They could date all they wanted, but in the end-

Alfred's ringtone, a rather obnoxious pop song, interrupted his train of thought.

Cursing, Alfred placed the ice cream cones on the edge of a bench and reached in his pocket, flipping the phone open. "Hello."

A pause. Alfred pouted. "All right, be right there. Thanks a lot…" He closed the phone and shoved it back in his pocket.

"Alfred?"

"Do you know how to get home from here, Arthur? I can give you my keys, and you could just fly back if so."

Arthur crossed his arms. "And why, pray tell should I go home? Because if it's the reason I think it is, I'm going to come with you."

Alfred picked up his ice cream cone again, finishing it off in a few quick bites. "It is. Seismic Wave, a few miles from here." He leveled Arthur a steely expression. "You should go. You're not part of this, and you could get hurt."

Arthur challenged his firm expression with one of his own, fierce and defiant. "I'm bloody invisible for one."

"Yeah but a rock could hit—"

"Shut up. Secondly, I _am_ part of it. If I'm part of your life, which I rather hope I am, I'm part of this." He was standing up straight, jutting out his chin and staring at him in a manner that read, ' _just try to disagree with me_.' "I'd rather be there in person than watching on the blasted television."

Alfred felt a small smile cross his lips, reminded of Arthur's dauntless conviction in asserting him that he had not hurt Rose on the first night they'd met. There really was no arguing with him when he was like this, was there?

His expression settled into a rueful one, and he sighed. "All right then Arthur, let's go. I'm gonna take care of Seismic Wave once and for all this time…"

Arthur nodded and patted him on the shoulder. "Quite right. And I'll be there to support you."

Alfred chuckled and held up Arthur's ice cream cone, allowing him to finish it off. "I guess you can be my guardian angel, huh?"

* * *

By the time Arthur and Alfred (now Freedom Star) arrived at the scene of Seismic Wave's attack, it was already chaotic.

Photographers and news crews stationed themselves at a comfortable distance from the melee, and police cars were trying their hardest to barricade citizens from the action, even as the very earth beneath the officers crumbled and broke.

"Arthur, you stay on the sidelines, behind the police cars," Alfred demanded, his lips thinned into a grim line.

Arthur huffed but nodded in agreement. "Right, but I'll have you know that if you do anything too stupid, don't expect me to just stand here and watch." A blush spread across Alfred's cheeks at this, but he frowned. "What exactly is going on anyway?"

"Another hostage situation for money like the other night," he explained. "New villains are kind of like that. They repeat the same gig over and over if it works for them." Alfred scowled. "And… last time it worked."

"All this just so he can get rich. Bloody hell…" The angel reached up and placed a hand on Alfred's cheek, his expression gentle. "That wasn't your fault. You can't be perfect all the time, you fool."

Alfred's face grew redder. "Y-yeah well… I can't let it happen again." He squeezed Arthur's hand and ran into the fray, squeezing through the barrier of police cars and carefully navigating the broken road.

Taking a deep breath, Alfred fisted his hands and made his presence known, "Seismic Wave, it's over for you," he yelled, drawing the attention of his opponent.

Seismic Wave was currently building up his new prison, this time filled with several employees from the city's treasury. With mere flicks of his wrist, he spun their prison higher and higher, a rock cave balanced precariously on a tower created of broken road. They were already around ten feet into the air, and Alfred knew that if the spire grew too high, it wouldn't be able to hold the weight of the men and women and would collapse.

He wasn't a very imposing figure, Seismic Wave. He stood at about middle height, but he was slender with large hands and feet. He wore a mask, and his costume was simpler than that of most people in the business; for bad or for good. But his power was formidable, and he'd rarely encountered anyone, hero or villain, with skills to his level.

"Is it really now, Freedom Star? Because if it's anything like last time, I'd say that it's only just begun for me," Seismic Wave gloated, a smirk on his lips. As he finished, he slammed his hand down onto the ground and caused a spike of earth to shoot up mere inches from where Freedom Star stood.

It had been close. So close in fact, that Alfred thought he may have lost a few hairs. He punched through the pillar of earth, and it crumbled at his feet, although a stray chunk brushed his cheek and sliced it open in the process.

"This isn't last time," Alfred shouted, and his voice was steel and anger and determination. He wiped his cheek, ignoring the way the blood continued to seep from the shallow wound. "A hero like me isn't going to be humiliated twice, and more so, I'm not going to let you endanger people any longer."

But the ground was Seismic Wave's domain, and as strong as Alfred was, he couldn't launch an attack well if he was constantly being attacked from underfoot. He fought his way closer to Seismic Wave, landing a few punches but not doing any real damage. He was covered in dust and dirt and gravel, and he knew that several more cuts were open and bleeding on his body now, but he didn't care.

There would be no giving up this time, and no letting anyone else force him to give up.

The spire was growing. Fifteen or so feet now.

Alfred aimed to disable Seismic Wave's feet, sliding underneath him and trying to grab them and hold them with brute force. But he was stopped when a slab of rock clamped around his center, trapping him in place just long enough for Seismic Wave to escape.

He broke the rock and cursed, wondering how in the hell he was going to do this.

The rock around his center had held him in a tighter grasp than he'd thought. His ribs ached, and he knew that it had bruised them badly. Biting back the pain, he grabbed a large chunk of curb and tossed it Seismic Wave's way, only to have it volleyed back to him.

It smacked him square in the stomach, and Alfred tasted something coppery within his mouth as he collapsed backward.

But he didn't hit the ground.

Instead warm, surprisingly strong arms caught him, and he glanced up to meet a pair of furious but concerned green eyes.

"Arthur…?"

"You idiot," Arthur snapped. "You're completely banged up. I can tell, you know! You aren't going to last much longer in this fight, and you know it."

Alfred shook his head. "You're wrong. I can totally do it. I have to! I mean the hostages…"

"Are taken care of," Arthur interrupted. He gestured skyward.

The cave atop the spire was empty.

"While you two were busy trying to kill each other, I took the liberty of rescuing the hostages. They're all safe across the police line, and that bloody idiot Seismic Wave didn't even notice." He smirked a bit. "I suppose wings can come in handy."

"But you're…"

"Not invisible. You know I have the power to will myself visible, and I did so."

Alfred nodded, his eyes feeling a little droopy. "I think… Seismic Wave noticed."

Arthur snapped his head up. Indeed, Seismic Wave was furious. He was approaching them now, leveling earth with every step, a vicious expression on his face.

"Do you think you have enough energy to fight a bit longer?" Arthur queried, speaking quickly.

"Hell yeah I do," Alfred said.

"Then I've got an idea…"

"Huh?"

"There's no way you can fight him with the ground beneath you."

A smile curled across Alfred's lips. "I need to take him on from above."

"Right you are," Arthur said, and he hoisted Alfred up into the air, soaring upwards until they were at least twenty feet above their opponent.

Arthur held Alfred under his arms, and the superhero's feet dangled below them. "This won't do. I can't just have you dangle and… kick…" He bit his lip in thought.

Alfred glanced down, and then back up at Arthur. "Hold me in the center, parallel beneath you."

"What? But your stomach is injured. I don't want to grip you there…"

He shrugged. "A little more pain isn't a big deal, Arthur. Not if it helps us take this bastard out."

Arthur chuckled and carefully, he shifted Alfred into the requested position. "You're stronger than I thought you'd be," Alfred said.

"I'm not some weakling!" Arthur snapped. "But… actually, I am a bit stronger as an angel, I suppose. It takes a lot of power to fly."

Oh yeah. He was _flying_.

Arthur was holding him, but he was still… sort of flying.

It felt just as amazing as he thought it would. Arthur's wings flapping caused gentle breezes to caress his body, and the wind ran by his face as they circled the battlefield. Truthfully, he barely noticed the pain in his ribs and stomach.

He smiled, blissful. "This is so… awesome," he said, breathless.

"I dare say it's not awesome at all, Alfred," Arthur huffed.

"No… I mean the flying."

He turned his head up to meet Arthur's gaze, and they were mere centimeters apart. Arthur's cheeks were wind-flushed, and his hair was shifting gently in the breeze. If it weren't such an awkward angle, Alfred would have been tempted to…

Kiss him.

He felt the back of his neck heat, and he shook his head. "I'm ready when you are, Arthur. We're gonna divebomb him, right? I just need to land a good hit on him, and that should knock him out."

Arthur nodded. "Correct. And he shouldn't have enough time to block it, since we'll be high above the ground."

"Awesome. Got it."

"We've got one solid chance before he catches onto what we're up to," the angel explained.

"One chance that we're gonna make." Alfred smiled, wide and confident.

"Damn right we are." He stiffened, readying his body for rapid descent. "On three I'll start to descend. Hold on tight. It's going to be quite quick."

Alfred shook his head in the affirmative. "Ready, Pilot."

"One, two-"

"Hey Arthur?"

" _What_?"

"Has anyone ever told you that you'd make an awesome superhero?"

A huff. " _Three_."

Arthur dove, angling his wings backward as he did so. The wind whipped past Alfred's face at rapid speed, and he prepared himself mentally for the attack.

Within moments, he was mere feet from Seismic Wave. He pushed forward his arm and fisted his hand.

But Seismic Wave had noticed. A slab of stone shot up, blocking their attack. Arthur cursed.

Alfred made a split second decision. He kicked Arthur in the shin, hard, startling the angel into loosening his grip on the superhero.

His hands hit the slab of rock that Seismic Wave had put up to defend himself, and he sprung off of it and directly into his path, falling in from above.

Alfred could just make out Seismic Wave's eyes widening in shock before he used the side of his hand to hit the man on the back of his head, the sheer force of it causing him to fall forward and collapse unconscious.

He would have smacked into the ground himself, had Arthur not once again caught him in his arms.

Arthur flew upward, holding Alfred bridal style within his grasp.

"Great job, huh?" Alfred said with an exhausted smile.

He glanced up, expecting to see a warm expression on Arthur's face.

Instead Arthur looked infuriated, his green eyes acidic. He flew them over to a smooth spot on the ground and landed, standing Alfred up and placing his hands on the hero's shoulders.

His eyes were squeezed shut, and Alfred could have sworn that tears were prickling at the corners of them.

"Arthur? We… did it. You were awesome. I was of course, but you too!" Alfred said, scratching the back of his head in nervousness. And crap, the pain was finally starting to register as well. He felt as if someone had churned his insides up.

Arthur finally opened his eyes, and they were still fierce and combative, but… somehow they were also tender.

"You are the biggest bloody idiot in the entire universe," he said, his voice shaking. "Jumping from my arms like that? I've met _dead_ people with better self-preservation than you."

Alfred rubbed his cheek. "It… doesn't matter. I mean we did it, didn't we?"

"It bloody well does matter!" Arthur snapped. He tightened his grip on Alfred's shoulders and leaned up, just a bit. "I can't- I can't-" He shut his eyes again, and there was no denying the tears this time. "I can't bear the thought of-"

Instead of finishing his sentence, he closed the remaining distance between them and captured Alfred's lips in a kiss.

Alfred's blue eyes grew large, and he was too shocked to respond for several moments. Arthur was gripping the front of his costume now, his hands just above his rapidly beating heart.

Arthur's lips were warm and soft, not chapped like his probably were. Then again, he was an angel. Making a sound deep in the back of his throat, Alfred returned the kiss, his eyes sliding closed and a smile forming on his lips amidst the kiss.

If defeating bad guys meant he'd get this after he'd done so, Alfred was _definitely_ never going to walk away from a battle without being the victor again.

Breathless, Arthur pulled away.

"Some date, huh?" Alfred quipped.

Arthur rolled his eyes, but then he frowned. "I-I am… terribly sorry."

His cheeks were redder than they'd ever been, and Alfred knew that his must be the same.

Alfred pressed a finger to Arthur's lips. "Shhhh. It's okay. Don't you dare apologize." He smiled at him, gentle and affectionate.

"I don't mean the kiss," he replied and cleared his throat before continuing, "We… obviously both enjoyed that."

"Then what do you-"

Arthur angled his head to the left, and Alfred followed his gesture with his eyes.

To be met with hundreds of cameras, snapping and filming and-

"Freedom Star, may we get a word?"

"Who is your new friend? Is he a new super?"

"Freedom Star, all these years you've been avoiding the questions about your love life. Is this why?"

"Why didn't you come out before now, Freedom Star?"

Oh _shit._


	6. Chapter 6

**Finding Freedom**

 _Chapter 6_

By Everything is Magic

* * *

I've never really felt that different. Okay, I mean… aside from the superpowers. I definitely knew _that_ was unusual. But when I was a kid, and I sort of crushed on the boy superheroes just as much as the girl ones, I thought it was normal. I mean why not? I was always taught that beauty was found within and all that, so I kind of figured… that it applies to this as well? I figured out that… things don't work out quite that way when I was older, but as an eight year old boy, I didn't get it like I do now. That some people are attracted to the opposite sex, some to the same sex, and some to both; it's just how we're wired, I learned as I grew up. I mean it's science, and I'm really, really awesome at science.

But when I found out that it was considered… weird to like guys, at least living in a small town like I grew up in, I kind of stayed quiet about it. I only dated girls in high school, and it was fine, even though I really leaned more toward interest in guys. Once I got to college, I was too busy to date, and as Freedom Star? Now I'm even busier.

When Arthur came along though, all pissed scowls and fluffy wings and giant eyebrows, I knew he was something special. I knew that I wanted him to… know that I really, really cared about him.

But he managed to get to that first, when he kissed me after I defeated Seismic Wave. And it was great and awesome, and despite the pain from my injuries, little fireworks were going off in my head and I was… ecstatic.

Unfortunately though, now I was going to have to deal with the fallout. Being a hero is so much about public relations, it's odd to say. I'm a celebrity. I can save the world all I want, but if I don't pose for the cover of so and so magazine and show off my 'Hollywood smile' or if I don't make appearances at special events or do interviews, I may as well forget about being recognized. Arthur says it's not right, and that being a superhero should be all about the heroics you perform, the people you save. He might be right, but it's also an industry, and I have to behave like any other celebrity if I want to stay on top of it. Luckily, I'm pretty charming and charismatic, but…

This was still going to be a problem. I wasn't stupid. I was a role model to kids all over the country, all over the world. My image was totally wholesome, safe enough to be on the cover of a cereal box, and… the theme I'd chosen for myself as a super was patriotism and justice and the American dream. And I just kissed a man, in public, in front of hundreds of people. It _shouldn't_ have been a problem, but that didn't change the fact that it _was_.

Arthur let go of me, stepping forward with a scowl on his lips. "Idiots! Can't you see that Freedom Star is injured right now? He can't take your questions, we'll be going!" he shouted, and I sighed. Bad move. Arthur was getting angry with the press, and you just… don't do that.

I placed my hand on his shoulder, shooting the press a pearly white smile. "Hey everyone! I really am hurting a lot. Defeating Seismic Wave took a lot out of me. If you want to schedule an interview, you know to contact my agency."

Arthur huffed, and I squeezed his shoulder to calm him down.

"Freedom Star!" someone yelled, and I noticed it was Angéline. "May we at least get the name of your mysterious partner in crime?"

I froze for a moment, tapping my chin in thought. I was Freedom Star, and my outfit was all… red, white, and blue and totally awesome. I'd always been really patriotic, so it almost struck me as a given that I'd go with that when I became a super.

Arthur was English. He was really English. Like, when I thought of a stereotypical English guy, something akin to an older version of Arthur would come to mind. Sure, he had his quirks, but he was definitely… way English.

And he had wings, which were his superpower, so he probably needed something like 'angel' or 'seraphim' in his name. I stared at him for a moment, trying to muster up something that had a good ring to it.

Ahah, _that_ was it. That sounded awesome, and… I thought it went with Freedom Star pretty well, which was important.

I grinned, staring straight at the throng of reporters. "Britannia Angel. He's called Britannia Angel."

* * *

By the time Arthur and Alfred got home, flying part of the way courtesy Arthur, and walking the rest of the way via the subway tunnels (they'd have Kiku pick up the car later), Alfred's soreness had intensified.

He and Kiku had the equipment to take care of it though, so Arthur watched as Alfred ran scans on himself, checking for any broken bones and bleeding, and then assisted him as he wound bandages around his center and cleaned his scratches and wounds. He chided Alfred, telling him he should have been more careful, but Alfred would just chuckle and say he was "doing his job."

Idiot.

The news was already everywhere. Alfred had only to flick on one of the screens in the base to find every major news outlet talking about, not his defeat of Seismic Wave, but the kiss afterwards. And the computer monitors down in the base showed him that it was all over the internet news sites as well. Right now it was just basics, the broadcasters and articles relaying the simple facts. The editorials hadn't popped up yet, although… he was sure that people all over the world had developed opinions and started to share them elsewhere; blogs, comments on articles, personal conversation, wherever.

He sighed, turning to Arthur. They were sitting together on the couch in the living room now, having come upstairs from the base because Alfred really needed a snack (a can of coke and a chocolate bar). Alfred was shirtless, his center wrapped in bandages and a loose pair of jeans covering his bottom half. Arthur still wore his clothing from earlier, although, he noticed, it was quite dusty and dirty from the battle.

The television was off, and they were both content to leave it that way.

They… hadn't really spoken much since they returned, and it… was an uncomfortable silence.

Arthur broke it. "I'm a right idiot. I can't believe what I just did to you. I of all people should know, considering that in my era…"

Alfred shushed him with a finger to his lips. "Hey, I'm not mad at you. If you hadn't noticed, I sort of… liked it." There was a small, sheepish smile on his face. He turned to face Arthur on the couch.

His cheeks flushed. "Y-yes well, that's… irrelevant. It was wrong of me to do that, considering your image and…" He let out a puff of air. "Look, we can just forget about it. I mean obviously the press isn't going to, but we can, if you want."

At this, Alfred's breath hitched and he frowned, shaking his head vehemently. "N-no way! I don't want to forget about it. If anything I want to…"

He felt his neck heating, and then his cheeks and the tips of his ears.

"W-what?"

"Do it again," Alfred whispered, and he cupped Arthur's chin, leaned down, and pressed their lips together. It was slow and languid, and… gentle, not fierce and emotional like their first kiss had been. Arthur made a sound in the back of his throat before returning it, his eyes sliding closed and one arm snaking around Alfred's neck. His other hand rested on Alfred's chest, right above his bandages.

Arthur felt his heart thrumming in his ear as the kiss continued, as Alfred ran a hand through his choppy blonde hair, bunching it up at the nape of his neck, as their hot breath intermingled, and as… shyly, Alfred pressed his tongue forward, requesting entrance, which Arthur allowed.

He had never felt so alive.

"I want to be with you," Alfred proclaimed, breathless, as they pulled apart. He pressed a chaste kiss to the tip of Arthur's nose, causing a hot blush to flare up on his cheeks. "I… think we're amazing together."

"Alfred…"

"We'd make… the greatest team," he continued.

"But I'm no hero, Alfred," Arthur countered, feeling a bit breathless himself.

"You sure as hell were today," Alfred chuckled.

Alfred had slid his arms down, around Arthur's center and beneath his wings, and he shifted under his touch. "Look, I just… did what was right. It's not as if it was anything special."

"You kept your cool. You were smart and quick and… resourceful and awesome," Alfred said.

"And you can be a bit hotheaded and far too reckless, so I suppose I do balance that out." Arthur felt a small smile tug at the corner of his lips, in spite of himself.

"Well… I don't agree with that, but you were still great," Alfred shrugged. "In any case, if you want, I wouldn't mind doing this with you again… both the k-kissing and the heroics, that is."

Arthur gulped for a moment; his heart speeding up because… this was so much, Alfred offered him so much. "Freedom Star and Britannia Angel, hmm?"

"Yeah! Do you like that name by the way?"

He shrugged. "It could be worse. Much better than… Angel of Darkness or whatever you called me when we first met."

"Angel of Death," Alfred clarified, "and that's because I thought you were a bad guy!"

"So what happens if I-" he glanced away.

"You'll be a hero, Arthur. I know that you… always wanted to do something in life, and here's your chance," Alfred said, and he squeezed Arthur just a bit tighter. "You and me? People will tell stories about us, like all the stories I loved as a kid about previous superheroes, all the ones that… inspired me. No one would ever forget you, Arthur. We could be the stuff of legend, and… you'd be able to save so many people."

"But you kissed me, and that's not going to do well for your image, is it?" Arthur queried, raising an eyebrow, but his chest was clenching because Alfred was offering him… something he'd always wanted, a chance to be… noticed, appreciated even, and more importantly, to have a purpose, to genuinely do good for the world.

Alfred sighed, a rueful expression crossing his features. "It's going to be messy, and… I'm not excited to deal with it. I'll lose fans, and I'll have a lot of people on my ass."

"Because of me…" Arthur murmured, his expression guilty.

Shaking his head, Alfred placed a hand on the side of Arthur's cheek. "Arthur, if you honestly think that I'd ever choose my image over you, then you're… a way bigger idiot than you've ever accused me of being. Besides, I bet I'll probably get some _new_ fans out of this as well." He smiled. "And it's not going to affect me saving people's lives."

No, he supposed that it wouldn't.

For now he could be happy, Arthur thought. Perhaps not forever, because he still… wasn't alive, and it ached to think that this would only be temporary, and he'd have to go back. And perhaps one day, Alfred would be ready to join him, after living a long life. Likely not though, because no doubt Alfred would… find someone else, and who could blame him, really? But for now, they could be together, and he could help him and be with him and… just for one fleeting, shining moment in the grand scheme of time, he'd have the life he always wanted.

Arthur nodded. "I'd like to be your partner then, Alfred." He smiled. "Kissing included."

* * *

"You need a costume," Alfred said plainly as they entered the base.

"No bloody way," Arthur countered without delay.

Alfred just laughed. "Seriously. As nice as I think you look in a sweatervest, if you're going to be Britannia Angel, you have to go all out."

"But Alfred, I don't want in on all these… shenanigans, I just want to help you," Arthur said, running a hand through his hair in exasperation.

It had been almost a day since their very public outing, and it had been… a whirlwind.

Kiku had returned less than an hour later after them, and he'd hardly allowed himself to take a breath before diving into work. "We'll need to arrange interviews. I'm terribly, sorry, but this is going to be a lot of work for both of us. You'll have to very careful with your words. I-" he sighed, a frown crossing his lips, "please don't be upset with me, but I must admit that I'm not very happy with this development."

Alfred was about to retort, but Kiku interrupted. "That is, I'm… sorry, that came out wrong. I am happy for you and Arthur. It's been…" he coughed, "very obvious even before now. I just wish it had not happened publicly."

And of course, Arthur apologized again, and Alfred told him not to again, and Kiku continued onward, typing out frazzled emails to Alfred's various endorsers and pointing out that Alfred really needed to decide where he'd want his first interview to be. "You can't wait long, unfortunately."

They ordered Chinese takeout that night, and after eating, Alfred went to his bedroom, complaining of a headache.

In reality, Alfred had buried himself under his comforter with a book light, piles of comic books stacked up around him. He reread all his favorite stories, as if seeking guidance from the heroes he'd grown up with. Alfred did this sometimes, when things were strange or something new was happening, he went back to the men and women who had inspired him, and… it helped. After about half an hour, Arthur had joined him, and they both sat in his bed, Alfred tearing through comics and explaining supers, both real and fiction, to an attentive Arthur.

And it had been… awesome. They'd shared a few chaste kisses, and Arthur had barely protested when Alfred leaned over to snuggle him as they read.

But the next morning brought his current issue back to light. Alfred, as Freedom Star, released his first public statement, a press release. He talked about defeating Seismic Wave, and how grateful he was to have accomplished it, and how… he remained firm in his quest to keep Tri-City free of crime. And then he mentioned Arthur, explaining that Britannia Angel was his partner and that if anything, he was going to be a stronger super now that he had him on his side.

He arranged an interview, a one on one with Angéline that was to be on Monday evening. He nearly died of embarrassment when he saw a giant photo of him kissing Arthur plastered on the front of the paper that morning.

And now he was dealing with Arthur.

"That's awesome, but you have to have a supersuit, Arthur."

He crossed his arms and huffed, but finally relented with a tiny nod and a grumble.

Alfred beamed, and he totally wasn't thinking about how amazing Arthur was probably going to look in… whatever they chose. "Great! We'll get a design drawn up, and then I'll have Kiku help me with measurements."

Arthur bit his lip and glanced around the base, spotting Alfred's closet of costumes in the corner. "It's just… a bit silly."

Placing a hand under Arthur's chin and tilting it upward, Alfred shot him an encouraging smile. "You're going to look great. Amazing, even."

"N-now you're just being ridiculous," he argued, his cheeks growing red.

Alfred placed a quick kiss on his lips. "Heroes don't lie. You're adorable."

Arthur's cheeks darkened, and his green eyes went wide. "G-git." He cleared his throat. "But… even if you think that, why will everyone continue to just believe I'm a super? I mean I… obviously look like I'm an angel."

He shrugged, sitting down in one of the large comfy chairs he kept down in the base. Arthur joined him. "We fought a man who can control earth yesterday. One of my good friends in the business has the ability to summon water. It's… crazy, what kind of powers exist. So big fluffy white wings? It's not so hard to believe."

"And a halo floating above my head?" Arthur quirked a brow.

"A magnet in your head or something? They probably just think it's part of your costume," Alfred reasoned.

"I suppose…"

Alfred scooted his chair closer to Arthur's. "But actually, that reminds me."

"Hmm?"

He reached across the distance between the two of them, grabbing Arthur's halo in his hand. "I've always wanted to do this, but I kept forgetting."

Alfred pulled.

It didn't move, no matter how hard he tugged. The gold halo felt warm under his touch, and it was solid and- apparently even super strength couldn't get it to budge.

Arthur let out a short laugh, and he smiled a genuine smile. "Almost every child I tell stories to tries to do that. It would be right daft if it actually did come off, I would have lost it a thousand times."

Alfred gave him a sheepish look, scratching the back of his head as he did so. "Oh well…"

"I'm surprised that you hadn't tried it before now. I've been expecting you to yank on my halo since I first came to this base and saw that it was filled with toys and video games."

"Hey, my base is awesome!"

Arthur reached across and squeezed his hand. "It's… very you."

Alfred squeezed back. "I'm gonna take that as a compliment."

* * *

The last thing I wanted to do on Monday was go to work. I seriously think that I dreaded it more than the interview. I mean, I'd discussed up and down with Kiku what kind of things to say in the interview, so I felt prepared. But work? That was a totally different thing, and it was extra annoying because I really did love my job most days. I didn't like not wanting to be there. I was used to the whole don't-react-when-your-coworkers-are-talking-about-Freedom-Star thing, and I'd had to stay silent before at times when it was really difficult; like the previous Friday when I'd lost to Seismic Wave, the bastard.

But this was… a whole new beast. And in addition to that, I was still sore from the battle. Going to work as banged up as I was, wasn't advisable, but luckily for me, it didn't hurt as much when I only used a fraction of my strength. And a fraction of my strength was more than enough. Kiku and I had decided long ago that it wasn't a good idea for Freedom Star's injuries to match up with days I called into work. It was doubtful anyone would make a connection, but to be safe, I didn't call in when injured unless I… just had no choice (luckily this had only happened once, a few months after I started working there).

Arthur encouraged me in the morning, telling me to be careful and saying he'd 'like to kick the arse of anyone who says bad things about us,' which made me smile, even though I told him he wasn't allowed to. And then he'd kissed me and given me a few scones he'd made earlier that evening to go with my lunch.

They were terrible, but when lunchtime came around, I ate every single one… just because they reminded me of him.

Of course, no one would shut up about Freedom Star and Britannia Angel. Most of my coworkers didn't have an issue with the whole kissing-guys thing, which was a relief (although a few of my older peers expressed disdain), but that didn't mean that all the gossip wasn't annoying and… sometimes sort of hurtful.

"I never would have considered it of… him. He's just never struck me like that at all."

"Still, he shouldn't have kept it secret. He says all the time in interviews that he's waiting for the right person. Way to break the heart of every girl in the country, dude."

"Well obviously he was waiting for the right _man_ , but… he could have been more upfront about that."

"He was probably worried about his image, mates. You know how some of those people are, one wrong move and he's toast."

"He shouldn't be so worried about his image that he lies about his sexuality. If people aren't forward about that kind of thing, it's still going to be viewed as something to be ashamed of."

"Well he never really said either way, y'know?"

"Some parents are going to be pissed. My aunt mentioned it on the phone last night, and she was not happy. Apparently, she told my cousin to take her poster down."

"That's a dick move, but I doubt she's the only one. And… how many little boys are going to have to get rid of their Freedom Star action figures?"

"On the other hand, hello new gay icon…"

"I say good for him, but honestly? He could do way better. Did you see that guy's eyebrows?"

"I think he looks fine," I finally interrupted, and I cursed inwardly at my lack of restraint. But it was just getting to me too much. All of my coworkers, throwing barbs back and forth, because why not? They had no idea that the target of their words was… sitting in the same room as them. "I-I mean Britannia Angel. He seems… cool to me. A-and it's… up to Freedom Star if he doesn't want to talk about… who he likes and stuff. I mean, he's a superhero and his job is to save people. What does any of that have to do with saving people's lives? As for people getting… pissed, they're assholes, right?"

I knew my voice was sort of shaking, and I probably sounded a lot angrier and more snappish than I should have. I took a deep breath.

"So defensive of Freedom Star, Alfred," one of the veterinarians chuckled. "I never knew you were such a big fan."

I faked a smile. "Yeah well, I just… have always liked superheroes a lot, and you know, Freedom Star is just about the biggest out there."

"Alfred's right, mates," Bruce said, and I was… really thankful. Bruce is awesome. He's always so cool and laid back, so I knew he wouldn't care. Plus, people listen to him. He's kind of in charge, and that aside, he's just the sort of guy that no one dislikes. "As long as Freedom Star is doing his job well, it shouldn't matter to anyone who he's shaggin' on the side."

"Shit Bruce, you're so lewd," laughed the keeper in charge of the snake building.

But I was… totally bright red, and I knew it. I grabbed a magazine from the break room table and hid my face behind it, willing the flush to disappear.

"In any case, we need to stop lazing 'round and get back to work," Bruce said, standing up. "Animals can't feed themselves. Well, I guess some of them can, but that would be bad news for us." He cocked a grin, and I could swear he shot a reassuring glance at me. Geez, now everyone thought I was some kind of nerdy superhero fanatic (although Arthur would probably say that I _was_ one).

I pushed myself out of my chair and slid my cellphone from my pocket, staring at it a moment before making a decision. "Hey Bruce, I'll be along in a few minutes. Gotta make a phone call!"

Bruce cocked an eyebrow in curiosity, but nodded. "'Right, mate. See you in a few at Wondercroc's enclosure?"

"Yeah, sure."

I threw the trash from my lunch away, and headed to the break room restroom, which was luckily just one stall, so no one else could come in. After doublechecking that I'd locked the door, I ran over and leaned against the wall beside the toilet.

Pressing 'home,' on my contacts list, I waited four rings for the answering machine. "Hey Arthur, it's me Alfred. I… just want to talk to you if that's okay? Please pick up. Today's been kind of crappy," I laughed, and I was sure it sounded sort of ironic. "I could really use to hear your… v-voice."

A click, and Arthur picked up the phone. "Hello, Alfred? Are you all right?"

"Arthur!" I exclaimed, and I knew I sounded kind of stupidly happy. "I'm… really wishing you were here."

There was a hitch in Arthur's breath, and I imagined his cheeks flushing adorably pink. "I-I'm sorry… I can't be."

"It's okay. Just talk to me then?"

"Of course Alfred, of course I will…"


End file.
